


100 Ways to Say "I Love You"

by aexis1465



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Autistic Character, Carwash sibling au, F/F, F/M, Fake Marriage, Freelancer!Kai, M/M, Multi, Other, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-05-19 21:07:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 100
Words: 98,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5980912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aexis1465/pseuds/aexis1465
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were scared to say "I love you," but what they didn't realize is that they've already said it 99 times. </p><p>Based off of this tumblr post:<br/>http://p0ck3tf0x.tumblr.com/post/98502010026/one-hundred-ways-to-say-i-love-you</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. South/Sister-1. "Pull over. Let me drive for a while."

They have been driving for hours. South had received a text message at two in the morning from her twin brother North saying he, York and Wash were drunk and needed her to come pick them up. Her plan was to leave silently and let Kaikaina continue sleeping, but as soon as South moved off the bed, Kai was up and questioning immediately. 

“I have to go get my stupid brother and his friends from the bar they’re at. It won’t take long, go back to sleep.” She explained, waiting for her significant other to lay back down. 

“No, it’s late. I’ll go with you in case something happens.” It wasn’t much of an excuse, but Kai knew she wouldn’t go back to sleep until South returned home anyway. 

South’s phone buzzed in her hand, North had sent her the location of the bar they were at. She groaned loudly in annoyance upon realizing the bar was about two hours away. She questioned how they even got there in the first place, but decided she would rather not know. Considering the explanations she has received in the past from her younger twin, she didn’t want to know. She reluctantly dragged herself to the front door and pulled on her coat and shoes, Kai doing the same seconds after. They both walked out to South’s sleek black car. 

“This is going to be a long drive; about five hours in total.” South said in a last ditch effort to get Kai to stay home. It proved useless when Kai shook her head and sat in the passenger seat of the car. 

The trip there was uneventful, Kai’s head was slowly drooping down, but she would pick it back up instantly in an attempt to stay awake with South. South just grabbed her hand and told her it was okay if she wanted to sleep while they drove to the bar, she just shook her head claiming she was okay to stay awake. 

When they finally arrived at the bar, North and his friends clamber into the backseat of the small car. South momentarily thought it would have been a better idea to take Kai’s more spacious car, but it was too late now. The three fell asleep about ten minutes into the two hour car ride home, leaving South and Kai to be the only ones awake- if you could even say the state their in was awake. Kai fell asleep an hour into the car ride, only to be woken up by the three idiots that now lie asleep in the cramped backseat. 

South started falling asleep an hour into the ride home. Her eyes were closing, only for her to painfully pry them back open, and the car was swerving slightly on the empty road. Kai hadn’t noticed at first as she was in her own world humming along to the music on the radio, but when South almost crashed her beloved car, she took notice.  
“Pull over, Let me drive for a while. You get some rest, you obviously need it more than I do.” 

“No, I got it, there is only an hour left anyway.” 

“Which is exactly why I’m going to drive while you get some sleep.” Kai got opened the car door, letting all of the frigid air enter the car. It woke up Washington, but he was fast asleep again a moment later. She walked over to the driver side of the car and pulled South out of the seat. South walked over to the passenger side, they both sat down in their new seats. South leaned over and kissed Kai’s cheek, whispering a small “thank you” before leaning against the car door and falling asleep. Kaikaina drove the rest of the way home and when they get there she woke everyone but South up. Instead, she walked over and carried her inside the house and up to their room, leaving the three boys to lock up the car and house. After lying south down under the blankets, Kai shut the curtains letting in the light of the rising sun, and joined South under the covers.


	2. Church/Wash-"It reminded me of you."

Four days, one hour, fifty-three minutes, and two seconds. That’s how long Church has been away from Wash. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave, but life as a marine biologist meant he had to go to conventions and meetings to share his information with others. He was lucky enough to have friends who lived near the convention center. Carolina had opened her home to him for the whole week he would be in the area. 

The week itself hasn’t been that bad for him, he just had to sit at a round table with old men who thought they knew the secrets of the universe. He doesn’t understand how marine biologists are interested in the universe and not the ocean. That isn’t to say Church doesn’t find the universe interesting, but he prefers to learn and discover things about the ocean nobody else has found. 

“I’m telling you, there has to be extraterrestrial life forms somewhere in the galaxy.” One of the men yells across the table. Two men were yelling across the table at each other, Church has been ignoring it the entire time, opting to text Wash from under the table. Fortunately, his phone rings, silencing everyone in the room. 

“I have to take this.” Church scrapes his chair across the floor away from the table and quickly walks out of the room. 

“Hello?” 

“Hey Church, I need you to come home.” Carolina’s voice spoke through the phone quickly. 

“What? Why?” 

“My friend Maine needs someone to babysit his new puppy. I have to go to work and I know you must be dying for a way to get out of that meeting. Will you come home and watch the puppy for me? Thank you, bye.” She hangs up, not leaving enough time for Church to protest. 

Church walks back into the room and pulls his bag from the floor and into her chair. He puts his small notebook on the table and walked out. The man sitting next to him called after him, but Church ignored him while rushing towards the exit. He tells himself that they don’t need him, they need his information and if he left his notebook there, they have his information. 

 

When Church gets back to Carolina’s home, she is almost running out of the house. She waves at him when they pass, but is soon is her car, speeding down the room. He walked into the room and sitting on the middle of the couch is a grey pitbull with blue eyes. It has a yellow collar around it’s neck and Church can’t help thinking about Wash. He takes a picture of the puppy looking up at him happily and sends it to Wash. 

“That’s a cute dog” Church reads his text message from Wash aloud to himself and the puppy. 

“It reminded me of you.” Church sent back. He lied down with the puppy lying on his chest. He started talking to the puppy and telling him everything Church could think of, from his newest theory at work to Wash’s favorite cereal and how he ate the rest of it before he left. Overall, the day wasn’t that bad.


	3. Tucker/Donut-"No, no, it's my treat."

It wasn’t their first date by any means, they have gone on plenty of dates before. Donut being the hopeless romantic he is always planning dates and little activities for Tucker and him to do. They have done all sorts of things people might not consider normal for dates. One time they went sky diving where Tucker landed into a pond and Donut had to go save him from his tangled parachute, and Tucker’s personal favorite was when they went sledding down a snowless hill on their trip to Vermont. Donut planned the trip for March, expecting there to be snow, but not enough to be stuck on a mountain for a week. When they show up there wasn’t any snow to be seen, only a tall hill that had hiking trails going to the top. 

Tucker questions how one of Donut’s ideas could be this quiet and relaxing. They were sat on the couch in a small, local coffee shop sipping hot drinks. Tucker was staring out the window straight ahead of them, Donut’s head lying on his shoulder, but his eyes were looking up at the other. He turned his head to look down and lock eyes with Donut. 

“What’s up?” Tucker speaks softly, pressing a small kiss to the top of Donut’s head. 

“Why are we here? We could be doing something exciting or something different, but here we are sitting at a coffee shop.” Donut sighs, he thought the date would have turned out differently. Because even when he plans a boring day out, something happens to make it more interesting Sitting still this long- which wasn’t long at all, it has only been fifteen minutes- was making Donut anxious. He felt as though because nothing exciting was happening, something dangerous would fill the space instead. 

“Babe, relax. It’s okay to just sit quietly and relax. There’s nothing wrong with slowing down and taking time to just be us.” 

“But being ‘us’ is doing crazy things and always having fun. If we aren’t doing something fun and exciting we are sleeping, and right now we aren’t sleeping, so we should be doing something exciting.” 

“Donut, stop. We are going to just hang out and relax today. It’s nice to just sit in silence sometimes. Life isn’t about always doing something, that’s how you get hurt.” Tucker tries to convince his small boyfriend to calm down. 

“Okay, fine. Today we can do nothing, but tomorrow you are going to have to make up for it.” Tucker pats Donut’s knee twice before standing up. 

“I’m going to go get us new drinks, you wait here.” Donut pulled out his wallet, but was stopped by Tucker. “No, no, it’s my treat. When I come back we will continue to relax.”


	4. Grif/Simmons-"Come here. Let me fix it."

Life with iron organs was not an easy one. Simmons constantly found himself having more and more problems that he has never had at any other point in his life. His robotic arm is constantly getting stuck, leaving him unable to move. He had trouble looking in a single direction because his robotic eye was never pointed in the right direction. He even had trouble talking to anyone because his lungs didn’t take in as much air as his old ones used to. 

Donut often asks him if he resents Grif for causing this nuisance. “I would never blame Grif for this. He didn’t ask for Sheila to run him over, and besides I was the one who gave them to him.” Donut would make a comment saying how he would hate Grif before walking into the base and leaving Simmons alone. 

Grif and Simmons had a complicated relationship. To people who didn’t know the pair, they would appear to be married, but to everyone they were just friends. They both had the same ideas and they are constantly spending time together. They were at the same base before they were shipped to Blood Gulch. When they got their, they each had their own issues to deal with. Simmons had to adjust to not being with his abusive father, but instead living on a military base where people were always being threatened and yelled at. He ran to the military to escape his father, but he just found himself in the hands of someone who had even more control and power. Grif had just come from a base where the entire canyon was killed off while he was sleeping. All of his friends were murdered and he woke up just to find the remains. He didn’t, and still can’t, sleep for more than an hour without waking up to check on everyone at the base. Him and Simmons both confided in each other at night when everyone was asleep. Simmons meant a lot to Grif and Grif meant a lot to Simmons, but that doesn’t mean they would ever tell each other that. 

Simmons finds himself thinking about those times at the last base. When he and Grif would talk at night over anything that came to mind. He has told Grif things that he would never even think of telling anyone else. He was also the first person to ever see Simmons out of his armor after he got it. Simmons would go to bed later than everyone and wake up earlier just so nobody had the chance to attack him when he didn’t some sort of protection on. He claims he only took his armor off because it was hot in the base, but it was actually because he was comfortable enough around Grif to not have to be in the bulky armor at all times. 

Simmons also remembers when everyone got relocation orders. Everyone was going to a different base except for the few whose term was up and they were being sent back to whatever planet they lived on. When Grif told him that he was going to a base that wasn’t the base he was going to, he broke down crying. Everyone had turned to look at Simmons, who had his arms wrapped around himself against the wall of the base. Grif pulled Simmons outside where they sat for almost three hours. Grif kept telling him it would be okay and that they would see each other again, but Simmons knew that the odds of them ever meeting again were slim to none. After an hour, Grif realised it was futile to to continue talking, he just sat next to Simmons silently, waiting for the scrawny man to talk. 

The did end up going to their different bases; Simmons went to Blood Gulch, Grif to some unknown base. He had put in a relocation request almost seconds after arriving to his new base. The people there were very kind, but he couldn’t stay there, he needed to be with Simmons. It wasn’t approved for two weeks, and Grif would tell anyone that those weeks were the longest weeks of his entire life. When it was finally approved, he grabbed his packed bags and took the soonest pelican flight to the box canyon in the middle of nowhere. He was assigned to blue base at first, they had two guys at the time: Private Tucker and Captain Flowers. Both of which asked him why he had orange armor if he was on blue team. Grif would shrug and tell him he was previously on red team and that he requested to stay on the red team, but the only way to be in Blood Gulch was to be on blue team. They just gave him light blue armor to put over his Kevlar suit until they could put in a request for new armor. 

A month after arriving, Leonard Church showed up with direct orders saying he was to only be on blue team and that the team would have to send a member over to red team in order to keep teams even. The plan was to send Tucker, but Grif begged to do it instead. He said he even had armor that would be considered closer to red than blue. Captain Flowers agreed, telling him to take off his current armor and put his old armor back on. Grif thanked Church a million times before he walked over to red base with a smile under his helmet. 

Arriving to red base was nothing like he would expect. Sarge was yelling that if he was the new robot he ordered, he needed to be sent back because he ordered brown not orange. Grif told him he was the new member to balance the teams and Sarge told him to go put his stuff in the base and be outside on the double. He set his stuff down in an empty room before walking to meet Sarge on the roof of the base. Sarge explained how Simmons would be back in a minute or so from his walk. Grif waited anxiously, constantly looking around trying to find where the maroon soldier would be. Five minutes later when he walked up roof of the base he told Sarge that the blues had a new member, but it wouldn’t be anything to worry about.Simmons spoke with a sad, defeated voice that hurt Grif to hear, he was hoping the Simmons would at least be able to act happy while they were apart. Sarge introduced the new red team soldier to Simmons, but he just said a small ‘hi’ before turning around and staring at the single tree that grew in the canyon. 

“My name is Grif by the way.” Is what Simmons remembers Grif saying. He had whipped his head around and stared at Grif for the longest time before actually saying something. They spent ten minutes talking to each other before Sarge put a stop to it saying they had to keep an eye out for the enemy and making them go back to work. Grif was going to ignore him and continue talking but Simmons was already back at his pos-

“What are you looking at?” Grif brought Simmons out of his memory. 

“Oh, nothing.” Simmons put his robot hand on the back of his neck. He heard the familiar click, signalling his arm was stuck. He tried to reach his other arm around to the back of his shoulder to try and put it back into place. The position he was in proved it to be a difficult task to accomplish. Grif laughed lightly before walking towards Simmons. 

“Come here. Let me fix it.” 

“I could have done that on my own.” Simmons grumbled when he was able to move his arm again. 

“Sure you could have, it looked like you were able to.” Grif laughed and walked into the base, leaving Simmons there to continue his thoughts.


	5. Jensen/Palomo-"I'll walk you home."

They sat on the edge of the toxic lake at their base. It was originally the four of them, but Bitters left claiming he couldn’t deal with it and Smith apologized before he himself left because it was too much. Felix came back with the news of their dead captains and none of them knew how to cope with it. Tucker was an enormous source of inspiration to Palomo even if he did claim to hate the younger boy so much. It was the same for Jensen, she aspired to be as good with technology and science as Simmons was. Hearing the news of their captains being dead destroyed every thin strand of hope left in them. They felt there wasn’t a reason to fight. 

Despite being together, the pair have never felt more alone. Jensen’s crying was deafening, every broken sob made Palomo feel even worse about everything. He viewed himself as the person who made other people happy, but how can he make someone happy when he isn’t the slightest bit close to happy? He tried to put a smile on everyone’s face when they noticed Felix walking to Kimball’s office with his head down, he tried to make everyone laugh when he heard Kimball sigh and tell Felix to go tell the lieutenants, he stopped trying when when he fell to his knees and the tears clouded his vision. 

Jensen pulled her helmet off and threw it behind her. She tore off the rest of her armor then sat back down on the ground, this time closer to Palomo than before. Her knees were to her chest and she had tight fists holding onto her knotted hands. Her sobs were louder now that her helmet wasn’t muffling the sound. It was obvious she was no longer sad, instead she was frustrated. She was frustrated because she no longer had a captain to tell her how to cope with this, she was frustrated because Kimball and Felix were doing nothing to try and fix the situation, and she was frustrated because this caused her to question everything. Why would the Feds kill the best soldiers in the galaxy? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to keep them alive and find out what they know or try and persuade them to fight on their side? She wanted answers, but she knew nobody would give them to her. 

Palomo calmly stood up and took off the top half of his armor. He sat down next to Jensen so their shoulder were touching. He rubbed her back softly, trying to calm her down. He knew it wasn’t going to work, but he at least wanted to try. 

“How are you so calm? Our captains are dead and we are fighting a pointless war!” She looked towards the lake and tears continued to roll down her face. Palomo reached up and wiped the tears off of her face. 

“This gives us even more motive to fight.” He desperately tries to cheer her up. 

“It should, but it doesn’t! I don’t want to fight anymore, it doesn’t mean anything to fight anymore. I have nothing to fight for! My parents died when the first bombs were dropped, my brothers died on their third mission, I was forced into the military because there wasn’t enough soldiers. Ever since this war has started, I have had no say in what I wanted to do and I haven’t gained anything. It’s been loss after loss after loss. Once I was chosen by Simmons and I met you, Bitters, and Smith, I found friends and a commanding officer that cared about my well being and what would happen to me!” 

Palomo didn’t know what to say. He didn’t think there was a proper response to this, he knows what Jensen is saying, but there was nothing he would be able to do. 

“You haven’t lost your friends. Me and the guys are still here for you and I don’t plan on going away. The captains might be gone, but their plans and ideas are still here It is up to us to carry on the missions they never got a chance to attempt.” Palomo tries his best to calm Jensen down. Jensen was about to say something, but was interrupted. 

“Lieutenants! Get back to you quarters.” They can hear Kimball yelling at them from a few feet away. 

“Yes ma’am.” Palomo said. He picked up his armor and most of Jensens. She picked up her helmet and chest piece. They passed Kimball and then they passed other soldiers. They reached Palomo’s house and Jensen was about to walk away, but He grabbed Jensen’s hand. 

“Hey, I’ll walk you home.”


	6. Doc/Donut-"Have a good day at work."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for CerealMonster who asked for Docnut

Being in a long-distance relation was difficult. Especially when there was a lack of communication. Doc and Donut speak of their feelings often, but they never spoke much of what was going on in their lives. Living in California, Doc has dealt with earthquakes all his life, Donut, who lived in Iowa, was always concerned when the smallest of earthquakes went through California. Of course that’s not as bad as Donut failing to mention his parents kicking him out. 

All of the problems that arise only end in one way, a fight between the two. They would be up during the earliest hours in the morning screaming at each other through skype calls. Donut would pace around his bedroom and cry, Doc would have angry tears running down his face and would end the conversation with a small apology. Within the next week one of them would skype the other with an apology and explain themselves better than they did previously. 

And that’s where they were now: fighting. Donut had been fired about a month prior, but failed to mention that and the fact he didn’t have a home at the moment. He was crashing at a friends house, but he felt his time was running out. He accidentally slipped up in front of Doc while they were texting earlier in the day, he mentioned how he was trying to find a new job and a small apartment so he could get out of Lopez’s hair. Doc stopped texting, but Donut’s computer was lit up by an incoming skype call moments later. He reluctantly opened the window, but pushed the computer away from himself. 

“I can’t believe you never told me this! This is so like you, I feel you never tell me anything anymore. This is the third time this year and you won’t let me help you at all!” Doc yelled through the computer. It was about 9 o’clock in the morning for Doc, so he wasn’t worried about waking up anyone. Donut on the other hand, turned down his volume and muffled his inevitable cries by putting his hand over his mouth. It was still kind of early in Iowa and he didn’t want to make his roommate angry by waking him up. 

“Why won’t you let me help? I have no problem sending you money or even buying you a plane ticket to come live with me in California. I understand you don’t want to leave, but it might be better for you.” 

“How could you say that? You don’t know what’s better for me, you barely know me.” Donut took his hand away from his mouth to speak, but put it back when his body started to shake. 

“That’s the problem! We’re dating and I barely know anything about you! I want you to talk to me and tell me everything that happened in your day. I don’t care how boring it is, I want to know about you are. There has to be more to you than what I can see through a screen, there just has to be.” Doc wiped the tears away from under his glasses. He hated to admit it, but there were serious issues with their relationship and the distance between them is what caused most of it.

“I know and I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you my life story over a telephone, it just doesn’t seem right. This isn’t what relationships are supposed to be like, I’m sorry.” Donut could hear the rain hitting Doc’s window in the silence that enveloped them. Doc didn’t speak until the loud sound of thunder brought him out of whatever trance he was in. 

“What are you trying to say? I still want us to be together, we can work through this. I’ll come visit you or you can think about what I said with coming here. We can’t talk then, we can tell each other everything!-” Doc was about to continue his sentence, but his screen went black and the call ended. 

“What? No, what happened?” Donut rapidly clicked the call back button, but nobody answered. He pulled out his phone and called Doc who answered almost immediately. 

“Hey, sorry, the power went out. And the hospital called, they want me to go cover an extra shift before mine starts. I’m really sorry, we can talk later.” 

“Okay,” Donut sighs, disappointed he wouldn’t get to talk to him until later in the day. He knew the stress of the conversation would haunt him the entire day, but he can’t pull Doc from his job. “Have a good day at work.” 

“Thanks, bye.” Doc hung up leaving Donut to think quietly in his make-shift room. He looked around at his few belonging that were messily thrown across the room. He got off of the bed slowly, and packed everything neatly into their bags. Doc was right, they needed to talk in person. He picked up his phone when he was done picking up, sending Doc a small text asking him for a plane ticket to California and that he would pay him back eventually. He received a text back fairly quick, it was just a small ‘thank you’ that Doc would continue to repeat later when they discussed the details of his trip.


	7. Grif/Simmons- "I dreamt about you you last night."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for Yin who wanted more grimmons

_Simmons found himself in a forest. He was unsure of how he got there or why he was there. He remembered himself being at home- their actual home, not at some military base- on the couch with Grif. He looked around him, there was nothing but green plants and the occasional animal that would walk by. The edge of his vision was blurred, he didn't understand and he wished it would stop. It made him uncomfortable that there was the possibility of someone sneaking up on him and attacking him. He wasn't the best fighter, he relied on Grif for that sort of protection. By all means, Grif wasn't the best fighter, but he could intimidate people enough to where they would back off and leave Simmons alone._

_Simmons wanted Grif to be here with him. Everything was so unnerving and the silence provided the perfect atmosphere to think of all the things that could possibly go wrong. He wanted Grif to lay against a tree and tell Simmons to relax and join him in taking a nap. Simmons would tell him they shouldn't, but after a few attempts, Grif would have the scrawny man cuddled into his side, sleeping soundly. He would then wake up about an hour later internally panicking over things he might have missed. He wouldn't externally freak out by moving or saying something because he didn't want to wake up Grif. It wasn't because he feared of what he would do when woken from his precious naps, Simmons just hates the idea of depriving him of sleep._

_He scanned the area once again, looking for anything that could direct him to a path out of the dense trees. He noticed that the more he looked around, the more he recognized his surroundings. This is where Grif and Simmons had their first date. They were based in Blood Gulch when they first started dating, they bought a small apartment when the UNSC was transferring information over to Valhalla and Sarge forced them to leave for two months because he "couldn't stand the idea of Simmons being with someone like Grif" and how he "needed a break from all the feelings in the canyon." When they got to Valhalla the two would go explore what was near the canyon, they found this forest on the other side of some boulders. They never told anyone about it, so they could have the location all to themselves. Grif was the one who set up their first official date up between all the trees_

_Simmons walks through the trees, trying to find any sort of sign to show him where he was in the forest. He walked around for ten minutes when he stumbled across the large puddle that never went away. They would use it as a checkpoint of sorts to know where their favorite place in the forest was. Simmons turned left at the puddle, then right at the three rocks piled on top of each other, and then he saw the pile of pinecones on the ground indicating his destination was only a few feet ahead of him. He looked up and saw Grif waiting for him in the small clearing. He sat at the base of a tree with a snack cake in one hand and Simmons' favorite book in the other._

_"You're an asshole, I thought Sarge used that book to light a fire last week. I've been looking for it everywhere." Simmons smiled at the larger man. He walked over and sat in front of Grif and reached for his book._

_"I know, I've had it the entire time. Maybe that will teach you to not eat my food."_

_"It was my food! I gave you part of my meal, excuse me for trying to enjoy the other half."_

_Grif patted the ground beside him, inviting Simmons to sit next to him. Simmons scooted his way over there and rested his head on Grif's shoulder. The only sound hear was from Grif eating his snack cake and the stream that sounded close, but they could never find it._

Simmons lazily opened his eyes to see the monotone grey base ceiling above him. He looked over to see Grif staring at him.

"What?" Simmons yawned, he didn't know what time it was, but to him it felt like two in teh morning.

"Good morning to you too." Grif chuckled. "You overslept, it's almost ten. You should go before Sarge comes strolling in here."

"Sarge will get over it."

"Do my ears decieve me? Did Simmons just say that about his beloved Sarge?" Grif dramatically cups his hands over his ears.

"I dreamt about you last night." Simmons said in attempt to change the subject.

"Did you now?"

"Yeah, I did. By the way, I wan my favorite book back, I know you have it."

"How did you find out?"

"I just did." Simmons laughed before pulling himself out of bed. He put on his armor slowly before walking out of their shared bedroom and outside where Sarge and Lopez were working on something. He started his day with, "Do you need anything sir?"


	8. Tex/CT- "Take my seat."

It was the once in a lifetime chance when the Director offered his agents to have a week to themselves. They could go wherever they wanted and do what they wanted as long as they came back on time and ready to fight. Of course, the Director was watching their every move, well everyone's but Tex's. They were all forced to wear their armor which had cameras in them. Tex didn't even let the camera get close to her helmet. She claimed that is she was stuck living this second life, she didn't want to have the Director stalking her all day every day. 

Connecticut didn't have a camera either. She had ripped hers out of her helmet after only a week of having it there. The Counselor tried to tell her she should keep it there for training purposes, but she threatened to pin his arm to his back if they installed the camera again. She didn't want to have theses strangers having a first person view of her life. The lack of cameras was one of the reasons she was so out-spoken. She saw the small device as a fence that held her in the boundaries of what she can and cannot do with her life. It was bad enough her life was taken from her when she was dragged into Project Freelancer, she wasn't about to let them take what little life she has left away. 

The lack of cameras is what prompted them to go on this small vacation together. They spent the week prior in CT's room thinking of places to go and things to do. During that never-ending week, they found themselves becoming friends, it was nearly to find someone on the MOI who disliked the flawed system so much and would listen to rant after rant about how she never wanted to be apart of the project. 

"I totally understand how you feel, I didn't ask to be in the project either. Hell, I didn't even want to be alive, but the director just does whatever he wants doesn't he?" Tex was lying on CT's bed while CT paced around the room. 

"What do you mean you didn't want to be alive?" CT stopped walking to look through her helmet at Tex. 

"To keep it short, I'm not a real person. I used to be the Director's wife, Allison, but I died during the great war. He recreated me from the memories that he and Alpha had of Allison. Now I'm stuck in the middle of another war I didn't want to be in and I'm stuck with the Director having high expectations for me even though I want nothing to do with the war anymore." Tex sighed at the end of her explanation. She hated explaining that she was once in love with the director because she no longer is. Once she was created, every ounce of her fake body have despised him. 

"Were you two happy together?" CT asks. She stops pacing and lays on the small bed next to Tex. 

"I think so? I'm not really sure, we had a daughter so I assume we were. I don't like him anymore though, I can't believe he brought me back. I can't even imagine how that makes Carolina feel, having to compete against her dead mother's clone." 

"That's your daughter? Is that why she doesn't like you so much?" 

"I thought everyone knew, but her. But I guess you were all left in the dark." 

"That happens a lot here." CT muttered under breath. 

"But no, Carolina doesn't know who I am. She doesn't like me because the Director favors me over her. I've yelled at him more times than you can imagine about treating her terribly, but he won't ease up on her. I've tried to come round and be nice to her, I've even tried to tell her the truth, but she won't listen to me for more than four seconds without me pinning her down." 

"I think you should try to pin her down longer and tell her you guys need to talk. Or just tell her you honestly care-" CT was cut off by the speakers turning on. 

"All Freelancers must report back to their rooms." F.I.L.S.S's voice came over the speakers. There wasn't a normally a bedtime for the Freelancers, but everyone thought it was because of the break starting tomorrow. 

"Well, I'll see you later. And I think I'll stop at Carolina's room on my way back, I'll tell you how it goes tomorrow on the pelican to France." 

The next day all the agents were sent back to Earth in groups on pelicans. They were all instructed to wait until the last agent stepped off of the last pelican to leave, the people who tried to disobey were nearly shot. Considering they were all going to different places, they were sent to the nearest pelican station to be sent out. The noise in the parking lot was ridiculously loud. Over thirty UNSC soldiers in bulky armor all talking to one another and then the civilians speaking to each other about the soldiers. 

"No, I'm going to stay on the MOI and train. I have to be ready in case something attacks." Carolina could be heard yelling at York over the crowd. York was attempting to pull her off the pelican.

"Nobody is allowed to leave until you get off, now step off the damn pelican!" York continues to pull her, but her grip on the handle of the ship is too strong. South walks over and pulled her down in less than half the time York was fighting her. All of the agents cheered briefly before scrambling to find where they needed to be and to get there on time. CT and Tex were no exception to that, they nearly ran to the right place and stepped onto their pelican just before it took off. They received looks when they sat down next to each other in the bulky armor. 

"Hey turn on your private radio, it'll be easier to talk." CT tried to whisper to Tex, but to be heard through the helmets you had to talk quite loudly. Tex nodded and clicked on the radio, it connected with CT's almost immediately. The grueling process of connecting radios when there are at least ten other soldiers near you disappeared on the pelican. 

"How did it go with Carolina last night?" 

"Well, she let me talk for a few minutes. I told her that I was on her side and was trying to get the Director to ease up on her. But she got really mad and said she needed the pressure to get better, I told her that if she ever needs to talk I'll listen and then I walked into my room. Don't tell anyone, but because my room is right next to hers, I sing a little song that Allison used to sing to her before she went to bed. I thought it help her loosen up, but I'm not sure what affect it had on her." 

"I used to sing to my little brother. He is four years younger than me and two feet tall." CT laughed at the irony before continuing her story. "He was devastated when I was put into the project, I recorded myself singing for him so he could listen to it. I don't know if he still has it or not, I don't ever get to talk to him." 

"Than why are we on a trip to France and not wherever your brother is? I would have had no problem going to wherever he is." 

"He lives in Italy, but I don't want to bother him. If I show up he might think I'm staying and I don't want to give him false hope." 

"Maybe we can go see how he is doing or do something nice for him or 'accidentally' bump into him on the streets when we go to Italy next at the end of the week." 

"But we aren't-" 

"No, we are now going to Italy. I don't care what you say." Tex turned off her radio before Connie could argue with her. 

And on Wednesday Tex took CT to the high-tracked trains on the border of France to ride to the capital of Veneto where Connie last saw her brother. Connie was shaking with anxiety, Tex tried to calm her down, but nothing was working. There was only one seat on the train left, which Tex offered to CT, who took it with a small 'thanks'. 

"Hey, take my seat. I'm tired of sitting down." They traded sports quickly and spent the rest of the ride in silence listing to other conversations taking place on the plane. 

They got off the train about six hours after getting on it, it was about three o'clock and CT was trying to convince Tex it was too late to visit now and they'd have to do it the next time they get time. She didn't stop with the excuses until Tex threatened to crash the MOI so they could get more time off to visit. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

"What do I say? I'm also in my armor, they haven't seen me since I was taken to the project. What if they don't recognize me? I have had many hair cuts since then, you know. Should I just knock on the door? Technically I bought this house, does that give me the right to just walk in? Are you sure we can't just go?" It was too late to turn around because Tex was already knocking on the door. 

"I'll do whatever you need me to do. I don't care, I want you to talk to your family." Tex was being sincere, Allison didn't get a chance to say a proper good bye to Carolina or Leonard, she thinks that's part of the reason she dislikes being Tex. She isn't their family, she is the copy- and the copy is never as good as the original. 

"Hello?" A young man who was about Tex's height answered the door. She saw CT stall in her armor and stare at her brother in shock. 

"Hi, my name is Agent Texas and this is Agent Connecticut, is it okay if we come in? To talk?" The young man nods his head, stepping out of the way so the girls can enter the house. 

"Who was it?" A lady in the back of the house calls out. She sounded young, so Tex doubted it was her mother. 

"It's two agents from the UNSC, they want to talk." He leads them to the dining room table and sits across from them. Connie looks around the house, looking at all of the pictures of her and her brother hung up on the walls. They were originally in her room, so he must have gone through her room. She is angry for a split second thinking back to how she always told him not to go in her room, but he probably had to pack it up. 

"So what would like to talk about?" He smiles at the two faceless helmets. 

"It's not me that needs to talk, it's CT, but she won't talk." Tex finishes her statement by jabbing CT in the side with her elbow. 

"Oh, yeah um, sorry." She mumbles. They can barely hear her through her helmet and she doesn't have the energy to yell through it at the moment, so she takes off her helmet. She didn't want to, it made her feel vulnerable and exposed. The armor is the closest thing she has to a protection factor- other than Tex- so parting with it was never a comfortable experience. Tex looks shocked, but also takes off her helmet in an attempt to make CT more comfortable. 

"So, um, I'm not dead?" She rubs her hand on the back of her neck. 

"Really? That's what you came up with?" Tex whispers beside her, shaking her head in disbelief. There is a small smile on her face filled with amusement, but she didn't want to intrude on the moment by saying anything else. 

"Sama-"

"It's Connie now, but yes, hi Benjamin." She looks up from the table and smies at her younger brother. 

"I go by Ben now, Benjamin is a mouth full." 

"I'm just going to let you guys talk this out." Tex excuses herself from the table and walks outside after grabbing her helmet. She sits on the stone steps leading up to the house. She stares at her helmet and thinks about everything that has happened since the Director brought her back. She thinks about Carolina the most, Tex wants a good relationship with her. But Tex isn't her mother, it's Allison. There is nothing Tex can do about that, there is no changing what the Director did and what Carolina has done and there is nothing she can do to fix her relationship with Carolina. 

She thinks about telling Carolina the truth, she deserves to hear it no matter how she may react. She doesn't even know how she would tell her, face to face sounds like the best idea, but Carolina doesn't trust Tex enough to be in the same room for more than a minute. Maybe she could tell someone who wouldn't keep their mouth shut, they would ru to go tell Carolina and Tex wouldn't have to go through her rage. That plan would backfire though, Carolina would be so angry that she might hunt down Tex and attempt to destroy her. 

Tex thinks about how alike yet different Allison and she are. They both care about Carolina greatly, but Tex could never show Carolina that like Allison could. Allison could treat her like a daughter, Tex could only treat her as a rival. They both have completely different views on the Director and war. Allison loved Leonard and she fought for what she believed in, Tex despised the Director and was just fighting a war she was destined to lose. One day she will escape it all, one day when there is nothing stopping her. 

The rest of the trip was a blur to Tex, she remembers leaving CT's house, getting back on the train, and then getting on a pelican back to Texas where everyone was dropped off. The last group off was the first ones to leave. The oly problem with this is Wyoming was directed to get on the plane, meaning the eleven of them had to fit into ten seats. York and Carolina were the last ones to get on, and York snatched the seat before Carolina set her bags down, leaving her to stand. When the pelican took off, Carolina found herself getting sick and had to sit down with her head between her knees. 

"Take my seat Carolina." Tex stood up and offered her seat to the sick girl. 

"I don't need your pity." Carolina spat out. 

"I'm not pitying you, I just want you to have the seat." 

"I don't trust you." 

"I know, but sit down or you're only going to feel worse." Carolina stood up shakily and sat in the seat, letting Tex to stand near the door, holding onto the bar. 

Three months later and the project was falling apart. Many people have disappeared- CT included- and she had a plan to leave. She and York were going to get out and leave everyone else there. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the other agents would leave as soon as the ship landed, she hoped they were just smart enough to ditch the armor so they couldn't be tracked. Tex had left a voice recording in Carolina's armor pocket for her to find when she wakes up the next morning. Tex figures they would be landed by then, and she would be long gone. She isn't sure where she is going to go, but she has to get there before the Director notices she is gone. 

Tex had disappeared the second the ship stop crashing. She was out of the ship and running to the nearest base to get away, that's where she found herself in Blood Gulch. She found Alpha and they were presumed to be dating, but she didn't mind. He was more like the Leonard she remembers than the Director was. So she hid from the project until more and more agents showed up. She could always lay low until Washington stopped by- that's when she decided enough was enough and to go find CT. She got on the first Pelican to Veneto, Italy and hoped that she would see her friend at her brother's house. 

Carolina listened to the note repeatedly, that didn't stop when she met the Reds and Blues. She met them at a snow base years after the MOI had crashed. She was on a mission to kill the Director and she wanted their help to do it. More specifically, she heard them speaking of Tex and she wanted her help to do it, but when she found out Tex was missing, she settled for the next best thing: Alpha. She would listen to the recording every night before bed, it reminded her of Allison, it reminded her to thank Tex if she ever saw her again, and the song at the end sent her off to a peaceful sleep.


	9. Locus/Felix-"I saved a piece for you."

Felix had a habit of being late. He claimed he was fashionably late and that looking good was worth being a little late. The flaw with his opinion is that he is never a little late, he always shows up over an hour late and at the worst moments. He showed up to his mother's birthday after they cut the cake, the party was basically over and he had just shown up. This habit has never benefited Locus, everyone asks him where his boyfriend is, and he has to explain to him that Felix is still getting ready.

They were supposed to be going to Felix's 5 year high school reunion. Felix said he wanted to look better than every girl he dated in those four years. The reunion was at six and it was currently five and Felix got out of bed an hour ago. Locus should have expected this, he would leave early and then in an hour when half the event has gone by, Felix would text him telling Locus to come out to the parking lot and escort them in. Locus had no problem with it, he didn't know these people. or the small group of F. The only memories he has of Felix's high school was picking him up in the parking lot after school. The students knew of him because Felix never closes his mouth, but none of them have ever talking to him.

"I'm leaving." Locus waited at the door dressed and ready to go. He had on black jeans and a dark green shirt and his hair was up in a bun. He didn't know if the invitation said dress up or not, so he should be okay.

"Okay, I'll be there soon. Love you."

"Mhm, love you too." Locus walked out of their apartment and towards the parking garage. He looked at the invitation to see where the reunion was being held and was thankful when he saw it was at the high school He didn't want to use the GPS because it will often give him wrong directions. He knew where the high school was, Locus drove there twice a day everyday for four years. He and Felix started dating when Locus was a junior and Felix was a freshman, so he offered to drive Felix everyday. Locus was pretty sure he doesn't remember where his high school was, yet he could find Felix's with his eyes closed.

He pulled into the parking space and followed some people to where ever the reunion was being held, he had never been inside the school, so it made sense that he wouldn't know where anything was. He walked into the cafeteria and sat towards the back on his phone.

"Hey, Luke right? Felix's boyfriend?" One of Felix's old friends walks up to him.

"It's Locus and yes."

"Where is the little prick? Decided he was too good to show up?" The friends laughed.

"He is still getting ready; today was his day off so he woke up late." Locus explains, he ignores the friend until he walks away. He looked up and nobody seems to have noticed him here except for the one friend.

About thirty minutes into the event, they started letting people go get food and drinks from the front tables. Locus stood up from his chair and walked through the sections. He got whatever he knew Felix would eat and a soda for himself. He sat back down and waited thirty more minutes for Felix to say he has arrived. Except he never got the text, instead Felix walked in on his own and scanned the room for Locus. He walked through every crowd of people to the back where his boyfriend was waiting.

"I saved a piece for you. Well, I saved a little of everything for you, but same difference." He kissed Felix's cheek and gestured for the shorter man to sit down next to him.

"Thanks, sorry I never called you out, I know how much you like to escort me places."

"Yeah, I love it." Locus said with a serious tone, but Felix knew he was kidding. They waited until the valedictorian and the most popular kids that weren't Felix made a speech to leave. Felix wasn't prepared for how boring it would be to talk to all of his old friends, none of which he talked to anymore. He made more friends in his first- and only- semester of college than he did in four years here. Felix took a cab to get here so he could leave with Locus, which they did when the speeches were over and everyone said good-bye. Felix made Locus go get the car and pull up to the entrance to pick him up like he used to.

"You just always have to make a scene don't you?" Locus asked once Felix got into the car.

"You know I do."


	10. None- "I'm sorry for your loss."

Captain Tucker,

  
We're sorry to tell you that your son, Lavernius Tucker Jr., has been missing in action for three weeks now. We believe it is right to presume death, but nothing is for certain. We have sent out a team to find him, but there is no guarantee we will.

Signed,  
The UNCS

Tucker fell to his knees when he read the letter. Once he saw the UNSC seal, he knew it could be nothing good; they never have good news. Junior had been called from his job as ambassador to help fight. Tucker was never okay with it. Being in wars before he has seen what they do to a person, and he never wanted Junior to deal with that.

"Tucker, get off the floor. Church says the floor is dirty and to touch as little as possible." Caboose walked into the room. Caboose stepped back upon hearing Tucker's cries, "I'll go get Agent Washington, he'll know what to do."

A few minutes later Wash enters the room with a blank face. Caboose told him there was a mess on the kitchen floor that he had to go pick up, the last thing he was expecting was to see Tucker clutching a letter to his chest and crying against the cabinets. He could see the UNSC sticker on the back of the envelope, and based off of what Caboose has told him, the letter was about Junior.

He and the alien child have met on a few occasions, all he talked about was his friends, father, and Grif's sister. Anytime they were alone Junior would tell Wash stories from when he was in Blood Gulch and when he was with Sister. A lot of times, Junior would slip up and say something about Tucker, then cover his mouth telling Wash he couldn't tell anyone or his dad might actually kill him. In return, Wash would tell his own stories about the freelancers and how much fun they would have when the Director wasn't watching. He would also tell his stories about times with the Reds and Blues, but Junior would interrupt him saying he has already heard from his father and to tell him more about the freelancers.

Everyone in the canyon would feel awful if something happened to Junior. Once he was born, everyone loved the little guy. Wash recalls Junior once calling Grif his uncle, but Wash wasn't sure if that was a thing he did to everyone or not. Everyone knew about Junior, even Tex knew him, which was odd because she didn't show up when he was around. Wash just assumed that someone mentioned him and Tucker pulled out a million pictures, but he couldn't say for sure how she knew.  
  
"Tucker? What's wrong?" Wash crouched down next to Tucker, rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to get him to talk. Instead, Tucker weakly held out the letter to Wash. He gasped upon reading the words, he lost his grip on the letter and it floated to the ground.

"He'll be okay, he is strong just like you are." Wash sat down next to Tucker.

"But he's been missing for over three weeks, don't you think they would have told me sooner if he was missing? Maybe they set this up, the UNSC never did like him."

"Don't be ridiculous, the UNSC would have just killed him, not force him to go missing. He'll be okay." Wash didn't want to say 'I promise,' he knew there was a chance Junior wouldn't show up. After a week they send out troops, after two weeks the person is considered injured, at three weeks they are presumed dead. If it's been three weeks, there is a huge chance he is injured and lost somewhere.

Another week and the UNSC held a funeral of sorts. They would have take all of the friends and families of the missing and dead people to an event and list off the names. Because Tucker was a hero and Junior's father he was forced to show up. So naturally, he brought all of the Reds and Blues. The ten of them sat quietly in the back.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Wash whispered to Tucker when the ceremony was over.

"You act like he is dead. He is lost, not dead."

"I know, I'm just sorry you have to go through this. I've had friends who go missing, it isn't fun. I can't even begin to imagine what it feels like when it's your son." Wash offers Tucker a small smile and a hand on his shoulder before he walked out of the room.

It would be for another three agonizing months until Tucker received another letter. It still had the UNSC sticker on it, but the envelope was worn out, not crisp and new like normal. He sat down at the table and ripped open the envelope.

Dad,  
I know you've been worried about me, but I'm okay. The UNSC found me again a week from when you will get this letter. I was at a simulation base in Hawaii where I saw Aunt Kai, she let me stay with her So you can stop worrying, I've been with her the entire time. The UNSC never send their mail on time, so I took the liberty of sending you one myself. I have to go now, but I'll stop by the base next chance I get.  
Love, Junior

"I- I can't believe it. Wash! Washington!" Tucker stands up so fast, the chair is knocked down behind him. He runs to the training room to find Wash. He shoves the letter into Wash's sweaty face.

"Read it! It's from Junior, he's okay!" Tucker yelled.

"I'm happy for you. I'm glad he is okay, I was worried." Wash scans through the letter and hands it back to Tucker. Tucker nodded then ran off to go tell everyone in the canyon, leaving Wash shaking his head with a smile on his face.


	11. None- "You can have half."

They made the plan when they were kids. They would go to the same college so they could always be close. Neither of them thought that college would separate them so much. Since starting school, they have only talked once. It's been three months and the only time they've had to talk was when South needed help on her essay. North admits, there are times he could have spent time with her, but he just didn't feel like it. Every time they were together it was filled with South ranting about someone in one of her classes and North didn't have the heart to tell her to stop. Instead he would do things without inviting her over; even just sitting around he wouldn't invite her over. 

This happened to be one of those times. He was sitting at a coffee shop that was close to the building his English class was in. He decided he would get a coffee and a cookie so he could have some sort of breakfast before walking into the two hour class. North sat in the back of the small coffee shop, looking out the window. He just watched as stressed students hurried to their next class. He thought about what class they were going to and what they were all studying. 

North was studying to be a teacher. His parents ridicule him about it all the time. They tell him he won't make enough money to live comfortably and his day would be filled with teaching the same lesson over and over again. South just joked about it, asking him why he would want to finally leave school to go to teach at one. He told her he wanted to work near kids. That was true and all, but the real reason he wanted to be teacher was to make a difference in kids lives. He wanted to be the person in their life that would listen to their crazy ideas and give them the inspiration to make their imagination a reality. North knows there are brilliant kids who won't pursue their ideas because there are people in their lives telling them it's ridiculous, and he wants to change that. 

South was going to college to be a paramedic. It shocked everyone when she said that, South wasn't known among the household for being the most helpful and caring person. The only time she ever really helped someone was when their little sister broke her arm climbing a tree. Their parents were leased with her decision, they were concerned about their kids having enough money to have an expensive lifestyle. She had all the support she needed to go into the medical field, while North was left to encourage himself to go get a degree. 

Their parents did pay for their college tuition. They both understood how generous that is, but they both had different approaches to it. North was taking his classes seriously and spending all night studying, while South would spend her time at parties and then asking North to help her when she didn't understand what was going on. North appreciated his parents paying tuition, so he offered to pay for meals and books. His job allows him to have the books and small meals, but never anything fancy. He refuses to ask his parents for more money, so he stays where he's at. However, South has a small job that doesn't pay that much, so she lets their parents pay for her meals and books. She buys other things she says she needs, but everyone knows she just wants them. 

"Whatcha thinking about, little brother?" South sits down next to North, prying him away from his thoughts. 

"You know I'm older than you, so I don't see why you call me 'little brother.' " Norths smiles at his sister across the table. 

"Shouldn't you be in class?" 

"I could ask you the same. But no, my English class doesn't start for another," He checks his watch, "twenty minutes." 

"My teacher was sick today, so class was cancelled. I decided to come get a cup of coffee instead." She holds up the steaming cup to show North. "I might use this time to call Sarah, mom said she fractured her wrist in soccer yesterday." 

Sarah was their little sister. She was only in seventh grade, but she still tried to talk to the twins whenever she could. She didn't understand they were busy, so she she called when it was convenient for her. She did a lot of sports, so she was constantly getting injured. North was usually right there to help her, but she pushed him away and wait for South to help her. She and North weren't that close because Sarah always preferred South, but North stilled tried to be there for her. 

"Oh, well tell her I'll try to call her later, but if I can't tell her I said I hope she feels better and that I miss her." 

"Okay, I'll text you if she says anything." South stared at North as he took a bite out of his cookie. 

"I can see you staring at me like an animal. Here, you can have half." He breaks the cookie, keeping the bitten part for himself and handing the rest to South. He looks at his phone to see he needed to leave five minutes ago or he'd be late for class. He shoves the rest of the cookie in his mouth and stands up. 

"I have to go, my class starts soon." He rushes his words. 

"Here, you could use this more than me right now." South hands him her full coffee in return for his half drank coffee. "I'll talk to you later." 

"Okay, bye." He kisses the top of her head and rushes out the door. South stares at him through the window while he rushes to his car. She waits until his car is no longer visible to leave. She walks to her car and drives in the opposite direction of her brother, hoping they would talk again soon.


	12. Wash/York- "Take my jacket, it's cold outside."

Wash was an extremely protective person. He blames it on his anxiety, he constantly thinks of everything that could go wrong. He was protective of everyone, always making sure everyone would be okay and that if something went wrong they had the means to deal with it. This doesn't mean he comes off as the weird friend always following the group. He just liked to ask everyone if they were okay and if they needed anything. A lot of people think he is just doing it to be nice, but he is really just trying to ensure everyone is safe and not in any danger. 

He worried about York the most. They went from friends, to best friends, to boyfriends. Wash knows all the different ways York can get himself into trouble, so anytime Wash thinks he can avoid it, he tries his best to do so. York doesn't mind, it isn't like Wash is telling him what he can and cannot to. York understands he can be a reckless person, so having someone worry about him is a comforting thought. 

"Are you okay?" York walked into the living room of their small apartment. Wash was on the couch staring at the wall they decorated with pictures of themselves, friends, and their families. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just about to go wake you up, you're meeting is today." Wash looked over to the shorter man. Shock washed over York's face as he ran back into their room to get changed. He completely forgot he had an important meeting today. And the drive was over an hour long, so he needed to leave soon or he would be late. 

"I'm sorry we couldn't have breakfast together, but I have to go." York kisses his lips softly before walking towards the door. 

"Wait! Take my jacket, it's cold outside." Wash yelled through the apartment. 

"Okay, I'm taking the grey one. I'll see you later."


	13. Church/Tucker- "Sorry I'm late."

Church should have expected this. He and Tucker were supposed to be having lunch together before Church had to go back to work, but Tucker was late. He was always late, Church can't recall a single time when Tucker wasn't late. He was sitting in this tiny bakery waiting for Tucker to show up so they could eat, yet it seemed Tucker was never going to show up. 

Twenty minutes after Church had gotten to the small bakery, he was forced to leave. His lunch break was up and he would have to go back to work. He texted Tucker that he had to get back to work, but they could go out for dinner later today. He wishes he was angry, but he knew that something more important may have come up. Or maybe he had simply forgotten and overslept. It was like Tucker to sleep well into the afternoon. 

Church drove back to work and continued his day like normal. His job as a journalist wasn't the most exciting job in the world, but he enjoyed it none the less. He continued writing his story he needed to have ready for publication by the end of the work day. He still had to go take pictures from where the event occurred, but he was hoping his coworker had already done that. Photo journalism wasn't his strong suit, he was better at writing and creating scripts for news anchors- not that he did that often anyway. 

Working in journalism had given Church the habit of watching the news. He always wanted to know what was going on or what he could right about. He often had a live stream of a news channel going on his computer at all times. He would listen and write down anything that interested him. He was lucky to have a career where he could- for the most part- write about what he wants and do what he wants as long as the story was done by the end of the day. 

"Church, turn on the news. There is a story about dolphins that you should write. I want to take pictures of it, but they won't let me take pictures if someone doesn't write it." 

"Alright, give me a minute." He turned on the primary news station to see they were covering a car crash. "Hey Caboose, this is about a car crash." 

"Oh, then wait for the dolphin story to come back." Caboose smiles before walking back to his desk. 

Church listens to the story about the car crash while finishing his report. The pictures of the crash caught his attention. There were two cars, a silver one and a dark blue one. The silver one reminded Church of Tucker's, it even had the same cliche honor student bumper sticker on the back of it. It didn't stick that the car was Tucker's until the news anchor said the victims were in the hospital and then changed subjects. 

Church went to the website to see if the names of the people involved were listed. It was a bitter-sweet moment when he saw Tucker's name. It was good because he knew he needed to worry about it, but it was bad because Tucker was in the hospital with unknown injuries. 

"Hey Carolina, I have to go. Can you edit this story and then look into the dolphin one for Caboose?" He hated pinning his work onto his coworkers, but he had to go make sure Tucker was okay. Carolina nodded her head and told him not to worry about. 

He rushed out of the office, grabbing his coat and backpack on the way out. He got into his car and sped towards the hospital the website said they were being held. He stormed towards the front desk asking where he could find Lavernius Tucker. The nurse told him he would have to wait until the doctors were done checking on him and to have a seat in the chairs behind him. He nodded and sat down in the uncomfortable chairs. 

It was ten long minutes before the nurse told him he could go see Tucker in room 328. He ran towards the elevator and anxiously waited for it to stop on the third floor. He followed the signs on the walls until he finally found room 328. 

"Dude you don't need to be so quiet." Tucker said when he saw Church slowly open the door. "And before you ask, nothings wrong. The other guy seemed to be pretty beat up though." 

"What happened?" 

"A car crash." Tucker grinned at Church who shut the door and walked towards the chair next to the bed. 

"No shit, but seriously, what happened?" 

"I know this is for your job, so I'll tell you. The guy was speeding and didn't stop at a red light. I'm glad he was taking fault though, because I didn't look to see if he was coming or not. I was trying not to be late. Sorry I was late, by the way." 

"You have an excuse this time, but next time you better not be late." Church laughed. "And trust me, I won't be writing this story. 'Lina probably will, she might make me interview you though. I would do it if I wasn't already writing about marine biologists finding a way to talk to dolphins." 

"Caboose?" 

"Yeah, he wants to take pictures for it. He was really excited, so I said I would write it. I should probably go with him when he takes the pictures, I wouldn't want him to drop his new camera in the water." 

"Yeah. So did anyone tell you when I get to leave?" 

"No, but I'll go check now." Church walked out in search of a doctor, leaving Tucker in the room to think of another way to apologize for missing lunch. 

"You can leave tomorrow morning." 

"Okay, then I'll take you out for dinner in the cafeteria tonight. And because I'm taking you, I can't be late."


	14. Tex/Sister- "Can I have this dance?"

She knew going to the dance with that kid in her math class was a bad idea. She was upset about no one asking her, that she said yes the first guy who did. She knew he wasn't going to show up when he never picked her up at her house like they planned. She sat on the stairs for thirty minutes hoping he might be late, but something in her told her he wasn't late. 

"Kai, come on you still have to go." Grif tried to coax his little sister out of her room. He was going to the dance with Simmons, but he wasn't going to leave without her. 

"I don't want to go! I would just be alone all night anyway!" She yelled through the door. 

"I'll go talk to her, you wait downstairs." Simmons pushed Grif away from the door and towards the stairs. He knocked on the door lightly, opening it slowly. 

"I told you I'm not going, just go without me." 

"I'm not your brother." Simmons smiled from the doorway. "Listen, I just want to talk." 

"Okay then talk." Kai crossed her arms over her chest. 

"You shouldn't let this guy keep you from enjoying your night. There are bad people in this world that live to ruin other people's fun, don't give him the satisfaction of ruining yours. You have to go to that dance and have the most fun you've ever had, it'll show him what he is missing out on. I might not be the person you want to take this advice from, but I'm sure your brother won't tell you anything like this. In fact, he was about three more tries away from leaving you in your room- trust me, I could tell. I want you to enjoy your night, so forget about this guy who stood you up, and go find someone else to dance with." 

"Okay, I'll go with you guys. But only to show this guy up!" 

"That's a start!" Simmons put his hand on her shoulder. "While you're dancing with all those other people, make sure you remember to save a dance for me. Now come on, we need to leave so we aren't late." 

Kai stands up and smoothed out her short, light blue dress. She was going to wear yellow, but the blue matched the tips of her dyed hair better. She follows Simmons out of the room and towards the car. Grif dries them the small distance to school and then they go their separate ways once they pay to get in. Kai walks towards the cafeteria and pulls her phone out of her purse and pretends to text people so she doesn't look as awkward. 

"I can tell you aren't texting anyone. I was doing the same thing ten minutes ago." Kai looked up to see a blonde girl staring back at her. She was wearing a long, black dress that almost reached the floor. Kai assumed it was supposed to, but the girl was too tall for her size. She understood the trouble, she herself is too short for her size. 

"Yeah, my date stood me up, but I let my idiot brother and his boyfriend drag me along anyway." She put the phone back into her purse and stared up at the tall lady. 

"My names Tex, by the way. And my date was using me as a cover up to go dance with his boyfriend. He's lucky he is my best friend, otherwise I wouldn't have been so nice." 

"I'm Kaikaina, but you can call me Kai." 

"Well Kai, can I have this dance? And the many more after it?" Tex held out her hand to Kai who smiled as she let Tex drag her towards the gymnasium where there was loud music playing. 

They danced to every song that came on, and talked when the DJ spent three minutes to pick the next track. They talked about their friends, their families, and even about the guys they were supposed to be at the dance with. They made plans to go out on a date the following Saturday. It gave them both something to look forward to other than possibly bumping into each other in the hallways at school. 

"I have to go, I promised someone a dance. I'll talk to you tomorrow?" Kai said as the DJ announced the last song. 

"Yeah, talk to you tomorrow." Tex kissed her cheek, leaving Kai blushing while she looked around for Simmons. She found him right before the song started and pulled him to where she and Tex were standing moments ago. 

"Thank you for forcing me to come today." She wrapped her arms around his neck as they swayed back and forth in time with the song. 

"You're welcome? I just wanted you to have fun." 

Kai told him all about Tex and their upcoming date. Simmons told her that Tex once saved him from getting his lunch money stolen. Except it wasn't getting stolen, he was handing it to Grif who just didn't ask nicely for it. Simmons said he thought the pair were perfect for each other, with Kai's laid back attitude ad Tex's protective one they'd be complete opposites. But opposites attract, just look at him and Grif for example. 

"Thank you Simmons." 

"No problem Kai, just don't tell your brother I'm the reason you met her, he might not be happy you're dating someone he doesn't know." 

"He'll get over it."


	15. None- "I made your favorite."

"Are you guys feeling any better?" Carolina asks the freelancers. They pushed both of the giant couches in their rec room together so they could all lay down. All of them were sick except for Carolina and Florida. The pair took it upon themselves to make sure their friends would survive through whatever sickness they have. 

"I wish." 

"No." 

"It's been five minutes since the last time you asked, no we are not okay yet." South snapped her head up to yell at Carolina, then she dropped her head back down with a groan. 

South was in the worst condition of all of them. She was the first to get sick, and was by far the sickest out of them all. Florida hoped that she was just unlucky, she was on her second week of being sick and he didn't want the top freelancers to be out for more than a few days. 

"Is anyone feeling better? Anyone at all?" Florida walked into the room asking the same question from behind Carolina. Everyone groaned in response. "Okay, well all of you can take a nap or something. Carolina and I will go cook something for you guys." 

"We are?" Carolina asked. 

"We are." Florida grabbed Carolina's wrist and dragged her into the kitchen. Carolina sat on the counter waiting for Florida to explain what they would be cooking. 

"I'm going to make North's, Maine's, Wash's, and Connie's favorite meals.You make South's, York's, and Wyoming's. It should only take like thirty minutes and then they can eat and go to bed." 

The spent the next hour in the kitchen trying to perfect everyone's favorite meal. Neither of them wanted to mess it up, so they spent longer than intended to perfect every detail. Carolina walked out with two of her three meals, handing them to their respective person. Everyone sat up when they heard her enter the room. 

"We made your favorites." She placed the meals into York and Wyoming's lap. 

"You only made theirs?" Wash groaned. 

"Yes, we only made two meals for the whole hour we were in there." Carolina faced wash with a completely straight face. 

"Here you go," Florida set half of his meals into North and Maine's lap. They both went back into the kitchen to grab the rest of the plates, Carolina grabbed a sleeve of crackers for herself to snack on. Everyone sat on the couch-turned bed and ate their food silently. They would each say thank you when they finished their meal, set it off to the side, and go to their bedrooms to sleep the rest of the night away. Eventually it was just Florida and Carolina left. 

"You better not get sick." Carolina jokingly threatened him. 

"Please," He laughed. "I have an immune system made of steel."


	16. Maine/Wash-"It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway."

Wash lied in his bed. He was supposed to be asleep, but he couldn't find it in himself to close his eyes for more than a second. As a result, he kept himself awake by thinking what has happened and what could happen in his future. He thought about how he agreed to join Project Freelancer because he desperately wanted his rank back. He was demoted after attacking his commanding officer. It isn't that Wash regrets joining the project, he has made some of the best- and only- friends he has ever had there, but there are times where he thinks he should have just waited out the last four years of his contract and then leave the military life.

He doesn't recall why he joined the UNSC anymore. He joined when he was fifteen; it was illegal, but he was trying to runaway from whatever was at his home. He was 21 when he was demoted, three months later he was asked to join Project Freelancer with a promise of a promotion. He was the youngest freelancer, yet he still managed to stay towards the top of the leader board. 

Rank was everything to Wash. Since he was 15, nobody has bothered to know anything about him but his rank. It became his identity, it became a form of validation. If he was a high rank, people would know who he was and they would respect him. What Wash never understood was that there would always be someone that has a higher rank than him. And that someone would be a constant reminder of what you could be and what you're not. 

The future was uncertain for Wash. He knew the project was dysfunctional and that it would end one day, he just refuses to believe that it would happen while he was still alive. Wash didn't want to outlive his friends. He found it morbid that he would even have thoughts of outliving his friends, but in his line of work, it was a possibility. He was happy with his friends, he didn't want to lose that. If they died and he was the only one left, his life would return to what it used to be: and endless routine. His fellow freelancers added surprise and enjoyment to his day, the last thing he wanted was for that to disappear. 

The truth was, the future terrified Wash. It was something he felt he had little control over. He liked having control over situations. If it wasn't in his control, he was scared of it, which meant he was scared of a lot of things. Wash needed structure. He needed to know something- anything- about what was happening. If he couldn't figure it out himself, he would go to someone who could tell him what was happening. He understood this wasn't something he could live with forever. If he ever wanted a team of his own, he would need to know how to handle them. That would mean situations he didn't understand, and that he would have to find a way to deal with the situations like the leader he would one day be. 

Having his own team. It was something Wash thought of often. He didn't want a large team, like the one Carolina was in charge of now, he wanted a small team. Something he could handle on his own, perhaps only three or four people. A team of people he could call his men. A team of people he could protect. A team of people that would rely on him. He liked to think he would have a team of the best soldiers in the galaxy. He would train them to always be ready to fight on a moments notice. If they were ever ambushed, they would survive. If they were split up, they would find a way to come together again. And if one was ever killed, they would seek out revenge to whoever the killer may be. 

Wash continued his thoughts on his ideal team until a noise in his room startled him. He turned on his bed side lamp, his eyes blinked rapidly to adjust to the brightness. Once his eyes adjusted, he looked up to see Maine was out of bed and walking towards the door with his head down. 

"Hey, where are you going? It like three in the morning?" Maine turned around and gave Wash a look that said 'sorry for waking you.' 

"It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway." 

"If you will excuse us, Maine would like to go train for a spar match tomorrow." Sigma appeared at his shoulder. Maine dropped his head into his hand.

"It also appears he has a headache, we will be sure to get some medicine on our way to the training room." Sigma disappeared and Maine walked out of the room. Wash was going to follow him to see what was wrong, but he trusted Maine. The problem was Sigma. Everyone was uneasy about Sigma, nobody ever felt comfortably around the flamed AI. Wash shrugged his thoughts off and let his mind wander back to he and his team fighting off the worst monster to ever exist.


	17. Sharkface/Donut- "Watch your step."

Sharkface had gotten off the prison ship as soon as it landed. He followed the orders until he was given his armor and flame thrower. He waited two days until he left. He ran went off the base saying he had something important to do and he drove away in a warthog until he found a new base. He didn't need the people on the base, but he didn't have a problem with them. They didn't recognize him, they just assumed he was a prisoner of Felix and Locus's looking for somewhere to stay until this war was over. 

And that's how he met the reds and the blues. 

He didn't introduce himself in front of the freelancers, he hoped they didn't recognize him now and that they never would. He needed this base, and if they knew who he was he might get kicked off the base or be killed. He did notice the freelancers were the ones calling the shots around both bases. Even though both of them are on the blue base, they even order the red base to do all these things. 

He was assigned to red base. Their Saregent was happy to hear he had another red on his team, but the others didn't seem to excited. The soldier in pink- lightish-red- armor said it was because he already had red armor, but Sharkface thinks it was just to even the teams. 

Donut, the lightish-red soldier, was the one assigned to show him around. Donut showed him everything he thought was important: the bathrooms, the kitchen, Donut's bedroom. Any room he would need to know how to get to. 

"Careful. The floor goes up about two inches. I would know, I've tripped over it so many times and landed directly on my face. You should see the scars I have." Donut laughs. Sharkface doesn’t know whether he should take him seriously or not. He just met the guy and apparently he has face scars from falling down. 

"But seriously, watch your step." 

“Okay.” The pair enters Donut’s room. Donut sits on the small bed while Sharkface stands awkwardly by the doorway. 

“Make yourself comfortable. We have to share a room. I used to be the only person who had their own room but now that you’re here, I’ll share like everyone else.” 

“Okay.” He repeats. He takes off his helmet slowly and faces the ground. He doesn’t like taking his helmet off in front of other people, but he shares a room with Donut so it would happen eventually. 

“Oh, face scars.” Donut nods to himself. “I know that story.”  
Donut takes his own helmet off, revealing the half of his face that Tex blew up with the sticky grenade all those years ago in Blood Gulch. Sharkface gasps quietly. The whole right side of Donut’s head looked eerily similar to the right side of his. The hair no longer grew on that side of his head and the scars were dark purple marks running all across his face. 

Sharkface looked more menacing. His eye was completely black and his smile wasn’t as friendly. Donut still managed to brighten every room he walked into, but Sharkface just made everyone in the room uncomfortable. 

“You look a lot cooler than I do. I’m not taken seriously around here. Well more serious than Grif, but less than Simmons and Lopez.” 

“You’ll be taken more seriously than me. I’m the new guy and the only weapon I’m good at using is a flame thrower.” 

“But that is so cool!” Donut exclaimed. “You should show me.” 

“When?” 

“Now, let’s go.” Donut dragged Sharkface, who managed to grab his helmet before leaving the room, outside. Sharkface showed all the tricks he knew as Donut sat and watched from a few feet away. With each new trick came an applause from Donut. It gave Sharkface a sense of belonging he hasn’t felt since his friend died, he found himself more comfortable with every passing minute.


	18. Caboose/Tucker- "Here, drink this. You'll feel better."

They were running out of water in the middle of a desert. They all followed Carolina to the desert to go on some unknown mission. The blues went because Washington and Church were going; the reds are going because Wash talked them into it. Tucker wasn't excited to be back in the desert, last time he was here, a bunch of Elites and CT were trying to break into the temple and kill him for an artifact. 

Almost everyone was angry. Carolina was frustrated from not finding whatever she was looking for, Wash was on edge because Carolina had already attacking his team once, Tucker was annoyed because he didn't know what was going on, and the reds were livid because they don't even have a part in the mission, but they're being dragged along anyway. Caboose was sitting in the temple quietly, waiting for Wash or Tucker to go talk to him. He was upset because Church was replacing him with Carolina. 

When Carolina left with Church to go "clear her thoughts," everyone was slightly relieved. It was obvious Carolina was the source of everyone's misery. Wash moved everyone inside the temple and closed the door. He didn't care if Carolina came back before they were open again, she could find her own way in.

Everyone stayed in the front room of the temple, well everyone except for Caboose and Tucker. Caboose had started to wander around the temple when he walked in when they arrived in the desert. Tucker didn't walk through until he saw Caboose was missing. Wash wanted to go find him, but Tucker said he knew the temple well enough to find his way back to the entrance once he found Caboose. 

"Oh, there you are." Tucker let out a breath once he found Caboose. He was in the room where Epsilon was transferred out of the Epsilon unit. Caboose was sitting on the floor looking at the different boxes surrounding him. A few of them were open, the contents lying on the ground as if Caboose had opened them. 

"Church is replacing us." 

"No he isn't. He just has more in common with Carolina. In one way or another she is like his daughter." 

"I'm supposed to be his best friend." 

"Caboose, you're over reacting. You haven't had anything to drink or eat all day, you're just tired. Church isn't replacing you, he is just dealing with some things right now." 

"Don't be silly Tucker, I'm perfectly fine." 

"Here, drink this. You'll feel better." Tucker took the last of his water and gave it to Caboose. He figured Caboose needed it more than himself. 

"I don't want it." Caboose pushed the bottle back. 

"Caboose, just drink it. You need it." He shoves it into his hand. Caboose tries to give it back, but he doesn't take it until Caboose drinks the last of it. 

"Tucker! Caboose!" Wash's voice bounces off of the walls. 

"Come on, let's go meet up with everyone else." Tucker walks towards the entrance with Caboose following close behind. 

"Caboose! How are you feeling?" Wash asks upon seeing the dark blue armor. 

"Better."


	19. Doc/Wash- "Can I hold your hand?"

Doc thought October in Vermont was the prettiest scenery ever. He and Wash go up for a week in October every year for his sister's birthday. They were close growing up, so they used every excuse to see each other. His sister, Lily, worked from home, so it was easier for her to go visit Wash and Doc in Nevada, than for them to see her in Vermont. They only went to Vermont twice a year: once in October and again when Summer begins. The Summer vacation was to see Doc's nephew at a time he wouldn't be trapped in school all day. 

They spend Lily's birthday doing whatever she wants to do. Doc has no problem with it, but he needed to drag Wash along to make sure he wasn't always in their room. Nine out of ten times, Wash would find an excuse to stay home and not go with Doc and Lily. Sometimes he offers to babysit, sometimes he pretends to be sick, and once he purposely tripped on the stairs to avoid going to dinner with Doc's family. 

It wasn't a secret that Doc's family wasn't comfortable around Wash. Doc would insist they weren't, but Wash could see through it. He didn't know why they didn't like him, he was extremely polite to everyone and avoided all problems. There are moments when Wash thinks it's because of all the scars he has from being in the Marines; he tries to hide them as much as he can because he doesn't want to see them either. There is one that runs from his jaw, down his neck, and stops at his collar bone that is impossible to cover up, it's possible that's what makes them uncomfortable.

"Wash!" Doc yelled up the stairs. Wash sat in the bedroom they were staying in throughout their vacation. He didn't want to be downstairs listening to Wash talk about interior design with Lily, so he opted to sit in his room. 

"Yeah?" He called back. He wasn't as loud as Doc, just loud enough to be heard downstairs. 

"We're going to a haunted house. And yes, you have to come. Get ready and be down here in ten minutes." Wash groaned and stood from where he was sitting on the bed. There wasn't a need for him to spend ten minutes to get ready, he got dressed when he woke up. He sauntered downstairs and sat next to Doc on the couch. Doc grabbed his hand when he sat down, holding it in his lap. 

"Are you sure you don't-" 

"No, Tommy is coming with us. you don't need to watch him. Besides, it'll just be us, Tommy, Lily. My parents aren't going." 

"Okay, fine. When are we leaving." 

"I think now." Doc got up and walked towards the front door. "Wash said he will drive!" 

"No I didn't." 

"Well you are now." Wash seats himself in the small silver car, turning on the engine while everyone else piled in. Once Doc say back down, he holds onto Wash's hand once again. 

The ride to the haunted house was loud. Doc tried to play his music as loud as it went, but Wash had to repeatedly turn it down to hear directions from Lily who was behind him. They missed three turns and had to stop twice to reroute the GPS. What would normally be a ten minute drive, took thirty minutes. 

They bought tickets and waited in line for another thirty minutes. They watched everyone walk out. Adults with tired smiles, teenagers laugh and pointing at their friends who were scared, and the few kids who had tear stains on their cheeks. 

"Are you sure you want to bring Tommy in with us?" Doc asked warily. Wash knew that tone- Doc was scared, but wouldn't admit it.

"Yeah, he is twelve, he'll be fine. And if he isn't he'll pretend he is until something happens." Lily waves it off. 

"Next!" The workers at the door called out. The four walked into the to dimly lit house and started walking along the path at the speed of the people in front of them. Wash didn't jump at anything that jumped out at them, the only thing that disturbed him was the distant screeching. Doc, on the other hand, was shrieking at everything. Of course, that attracted the "monsters" to scare him even more. 

"Wash?" Doc was clinging to his arm. "Can I hold your hand?" 

"You're holding to everything except for my hand. And I don't know why you would ask, but sure if it would make you feel better." Wash kissed his cheek and moved his arm out of Doc's grip to hold onto his hand. 

Perpetually they made their way out of the house. Doc had only held Wash's hand for a few seconds before going back to holding onto his arm. Lily had stood behind Tommy the entire time, laughing each time he got scared. Wash walked out un-phased, he wasn't scared easily. 

"Thank you." Doc reached up and kissed the bottom of Wash's jaw, over his scar. "Let's go get some ice cream or something." Doc raced Lily and Tommy to the car as Wash walked back at his own pace.


	20. Church/Tucker-"You can borrow mine."

Tucker blamed Church for just about everything that has happened. Everything was nice and peaceful until Church showed up. Tucker and Flowers were the only two on the blue team and they didn’t have to worry about much. The occasional attack from the reds, but that wasn’t often enough for it to be a huge threat. He didn’t even have to run drills and he had a lot of freedom thanks to the lack of rules set up by Flowers. 

 

Then Leonard Church entered the picture. Flowers became more strict, everyone had to run drills, they were suddenly worried about someone attacking them. Flowers even favored Church. Everyday Tucker would watch as Church spilled his problems to Flowers, and everyday Tucker would be left outside waiting for an instruction. 

 

The pair didn’t start talking until Flowers died. They weren’t mourning the loss of their CO, instead they were bickering over who would be team leader while they waited for a replacement from Command. 

 

Blue team didn’t have a leader for two months. Church kept to his side of the base and Tucker stayed on his. When Private Caboose was shipped to their base, things had to change. Tucker and Church were in the middle of an argument when the soldier showed up. Both of them waved him off and continued their quarrel. When he came back saying their flag was taken, they stopped. Church took on leader and Tucker continued being the soldier he has been since the start. Caboose stepped in to help, but it ended with Church being killed. 

 

When Church was killed, Tucker wasn’t angry at him anymore. When he came back as a ghost, Tucker had nothing against the light blue soldier- he even stayed quiet as he continued to be team leader. It was like all of Tucker’s complaints about Church died when he did. They slowly became friends.

 

Their friendship continued to grow throughout the years they were together. If Caboose isn’t counted, Tucker was the most upset when Church went into the Epsilon unit. He fought for Church when Washington put on his armor to avoid being arrestested. He was okay with it when the UNSC was right there, but when they were in the base away from the UNSC, Tucker didn’t believe there was a reason for him to be wearing it. 

 

Church was just as angry when he saw Washington in his armor. Tucker stood behind his transparent figure and tried to help him win his armor back. It was useless to him, but it was still his armor. 

 

Tucker tried not to leave Church’s side throughout their search for the Director. He tried to offer him everything he would need- which wasn’t much considering he was an AI. But Tucker thought there was always something he could be helping Church with. 

 

_ “Hey do you need anything?” Tucker asked for the ninth time that day. Carolina shot him a dirty look through her helmet, she had to listen to Tucker annoy Church all day. Church didn’t mind, but Carolina hated it.  _

 

_ “No Tucker, Church doesn’t need anything.”  _

 

_ “I’m not asking you what Church needs, I’m asking Chruch.”  _

 

_ “Epsilon.” Carolina calls for Church as if he isn’t in her head.  _

 

_ “Hey, what’s up Tucker?”  _

 

_ “Can I borrow you for a minute?”  _

 

_ “Uh. yeah.” Church moved into Tucker’s armor and went with him while he walked away.  _

 

_ “So what did you need?”  _

 

_ “I need more biofoam and for Carolina to lighten up on everyone. All of us are terrified of her and you were supposed to be trying to calm her down, not make her angrier!”  _

 

_ “You can borrow some of mine, but you’re going to have to take it off of Washington’s armor. And you guys are the ones that need to back off of Carolina, she has been through a lot and the stress of this mission isn’t helping at all.”  _

 

_ “I was hoping for you to help me, but I was obviously wrong.”  _

 

After the fight with Hargrove, Tucker often thought of that conversation. That conversation changed their friendship drastically. They weren’t as close and they didn’t talk unless they needed something. 

 

Upon hearing the message Church left, Tucker cried for the first time in a long time. He lost his friend and he couldn’t do anything about it. Not to mention he had every memory Church had in his head. They were images of memories that weren’t his constantly flashing in his mind. He wondered if this is how Washington feels after what happened with Epsilon. 

  
He wishes he never argued with him. He wishes he never pushed him away. He wishes Carolina didn’t ruin their friendship. He wishes he didn’t blame other people for something that was his fault. He wishes he didn’t throw away years of friendship. But most of all, he wishes his best friend wasn’t gone forever. 


	21. Wash/Sister-"You might like this."

Wash was about to go into surgery when he promised he would take her on a date. He said that once he woke up, he would take her to a nice dinner and they could have a proper first date. He says proper because their first date was in the cafeteria on the MOI. They both enjoyed their makeshift dates, but they both wished they could have a normal date once in awhile.

 

Nobody was expecting for York and Tex to cause so much chaos while Wash was in recovery. They kept him away from everyone during his recovery, keeping him from having an escape plan. He tried to contact people, but anytime a soldier found out, they would put an end to it immediately. He wanted to talk to his friends and girlfriend, but there was nothing he could do except for wait. 

 

He was awake when the ship started its rapid descent into the nearest planet. He was sitting up in his bed- he was wearing his helmet, watching different clips he had recorded of him and his friends. Wash was slowly drifting in and out of sleep when he was thrown forward by the force of the ship. Holding onto the headboard of the bed, he stood up and looked out the window next to his bed. 

 

The sky was rushing past the window. He put on the rest of his armor in record time and ran towards the door. The door that normally remains guarded had no guard in sight. He used that to his advantage as he ran towards his old bedroom. Wash was so close to his old room when the guards noticed he was gone. There was a group of guards a small distance away from him, but they were catching up slowly. 

 

He ran past the hallway where he and his friends’ rooms were. All of the doors were open, and there were various things missing from each room. South and CT’s room was missing their collection of knives, North and York’s pictures were no longer hung up on the walls, Maine and Carolina’s bookshelf was missing the books Wash recognized as the pair’s favorites, and then he came across the room he and Kai shared. He ran in and slammed the door shut, locking it, and pushing his dresser in front of it. 

 

Wash glanced around the room looking for two things: what was missing and a weapon to use when he finally leaves this room. At first glance he couldn’t tell what was missing, there wasn’t much in the room, but they still had things that made the room their home. Pictures of the two of them- in and out of armor- hung on the walls was the first thing someone would see when walking into the room. The most noticeable thing would be the wall the door was in. The wall was filled with little doodles and notes each of them would draw/write when they were bored or lonely. 

 

The writing and pictures written in different colored markers covered the entire wall and spilled onto the adjacent walls. He takes a second to look at someone his favorite notes. His all-time favorite is the note written in large letters closer to their closet to stand out among the rest. It was the note Kai wrote to him asking him if they wanted to officially be a couple. Wash wasn’t confident enough to ask her out, so she did it for him. He sighs and turns away before he gets too upset.

 

He stumbles away from the wall, landing against their large bed. He sits up against the headboard, the same way he was in his recovery room. He continues to look around the room, waiting to find something out of place or missing. 

 

He looks under the bed for the shoebox filled with notes they would pass back and forth in their AI Theory class. They were the mobile version of their wall. He opened the once over-flowing box to see only a single note sitting in the bottom of the box. Forgetting he was still running from the guard and trying to find a way to abandon the MOI. 

 

_ Wash,  _

 

_ Assuming you find a way out of recovery and a way to read this note, I want to tell you I’m sorry. I was forced to stay here and have a small chance of seeing you alive one more time, or helping the other find a way to point out the flaws of the project and bring it down. I don’t know if you will find this after the ship crashes, while it’s crashing, or maybe you’ll find this and the project will still be going. If the ship is crashed, I want you to know I hope you’re okay and that I’m okay and I’m looking for my brother, I know he joined the UNSC as a simulation soldier, so I want to make sure he is still okay. If the ship is crashing, I want you to wait until the actual crash to leave. The rest of us are all leaving on different pelicans before the crash to return to where we came from. The last of the three situations is the last thing I want to have happen. Mostly because if the project is still going, there will be more corruption and more people would be hurt and more laws would be broken. If that is the case, just accept that I’m dead. They would have caught all of us, and we would all be dead.  _

 

_ On a lighter note, I don’t want to say good-bye. If there is one thing I have learned from Texas, it’s to never say good-bye. I believe we will see each other again. Somewhere along the timeline that is our lives, we will cross paths. We might have new people in our lives, but their will always be part of my heart that will wait for us to meet again.  _

 

_ I’m running short on time, so I must go. I will miss you greatly and I can’t wait until we see each other once again. _

 

_ Love, Kai  _

 

Wash tucks the note into the inside pocket of his armor. He opens the door of the closet and grabs the assault rifle and a pistol. He attaches the pistol to the holster on his thigh, and keeps a death grip on the assault rifle. He grabs as much ammo as he can carry before removing the dresser from the door. He takes a deep breath, preparing himself to fight off the plethora of guards outside the door. 

Wash had escaped from the guards outside the door, but the others caught and sedated him before he could get off the crashed ship. When he woke up he was given a new job: to recover the AI’s from his friends. 

 

He was on a mission to stop the Meta. In order to do so, he had to team up with the Red and Blue soldiers from Blood Gulch because of their experience with Beta and Omega. He arrived at the Red base first. After dealing with a rogue sergeant, he walked across the canyon to the Blue base. 

 

“Is anyone here?” He called out to the seemingly empty base. There wasn’t any signs of life near the base, so he wasn’t expecting a reply back. 

 

“Oh shit, is it the cops?” He heard a hushed voice from inside the base.

 

“I’m not a cop.” Wash walks toward the entrance of the base. He looks in, but he can’t see anyone inside the base. 

 

“Go check.” 

 

“I’m not checking, you go check.” 

 

He hears multiple voices speaking to each other, but he can’t make out what most of them are saying. There are only small bits and pieces of the conversation he can pick up. 

 

“Does he sound familiar to you?” 

 

“I mean, I don’t know. I don’t remember people by their voices.” 

 

“I’m just going to walk in. I don’t have time to waste on this.” He announces the first sentence, but mumbles the second to himself. He enters the base and walks to the right. To his left he can hear people scrambling around a room. This prompts him to turn the other way and walk to the left side of the base. 

 

Wash walks into the empty room, looking around to find nobody in the room. There was a huge plate of spaghetti sitting on the small table in the middle of the open room. Wash ignores the possible consequences of taking his helmet off, but he does it anyway. He hasn’t eaten in two days, and who was he to pass up his favorite meal. He sits on floor next to the short table, picking up one of the many forks that sat on the edge of the large plate. 

 

“Oh come on, I still wanted that.” 

 

“Then come have some, I’m not stopping you.” Wash eats another forkful of spaghetti. 

 

He nearly chokes on his meal when he sees the people who walk out from various hiding spots in the room. They were older and had more scars, but they were still recognizable. The room is filled with gasps as they all stare at Wash who was eating their meal. 

 

“Wash?” Kai steps forward from the rest of the group. He swallows the rest of his spaghetti and wipes the sauce off of his face with a napin. 

 

“Kai.” 

 

“We’re gonna leave.” Carolina pulls everyone else outside of the base. 

 

“How have you been?” 

 

“Honestly, pretty bad. I’ve been stuck with the project for the past four years following all different orders given to me. I’m supposed to be finding the sim troops from this base to help me in taking down the Meta and returning his equipment to the Director. What about you?” 

 

“It’s been going, but it got a lot better when you  showed up.” 

 

“I’m glad I could brighten your day.” Wash’s face turns red, he finds himself returning to the person he was when he and Kai first started dating. 

 

“So how about that first date you promised?” 

 

“Right now?” 

 

“Yeah. We have food, I can find an old movie, and we have the base to ourselves while the others go to harrass Sarge for their amusement.” 

 

“Okay.” 

  
“Don’t be so hesitant. You might like this.”


	22. Sharkface/Felix-"It's not heavy. I'm stronger than I look."

Helping a friend move was a controversial decision. On one hand, they owe you and you have a favor you can cash in, but you have to work for your friend the entire day. Felix was only helping Dante move because the task came with the reward of fifty dollars. 

It wasn’t a secret that Felix would do anything for money. Since he started high school, he has made over a thousand dollars doing stupid bets or doing something his friends didn’t want to do. At one point he thought of becoming a mercenary just for the cash it would bring in. 

He opted out of being a mercenary to work at Locus’ company. He wasn’t 100% sure what the company did. His job was to answer phone calls and answer questions, but he always sent his callers to another worker.

On the side of his job, he did small jobs for his friends and family. That’s how he ended up spending his three-day weekend helping Dante move out of his apartment and into his new apartment across town. His new apartment building was across the street from Felix’s. It made their lives easier, the amount of time they spend together, they might as well live less than thirty minutes away from each other. It was an added bonus that Locus and Felix were neighbors. 

Felix was currently moving the boxes from Dante’s office down to his car. The boxes were relatively small, but there were two boxes- both containing Dante’s impressive collection of books- that Felix had to carry down two flights of stairs. He would use the elevator, but it was no longer in working condition. Felix didn’t exactly know how it broke. All he knew was that Dante’s friends were visiting and when Felix came over to meet them, he was stuck taking the stairs. 

“Are you sure you can carry the last two boxes?” Dante asked when they were walking back up the stairs. 

“Yeah, why would you ask?” 

“Well, it’s just- Felix you are short and tiny.” Dante smiled down at Felix. He wasn’t lying, Felix barely reached Dante’s shoulders. 

“I’ll be fine.” Felix waved him off and walked through the open door of the apartment. He grabbed one of the boxes, letting it lean against his chest to keep steady. 

“And you’re sure you don’t want help?” They cross paths again in the hallway to walk back downstairs together. 

“It’s not heavy.” Felix says in a strained voice. “I’m stronger than I look.” The last thing he wanted was to look weak in front of his friends.  
“Whatever you say.” Dante rolled his eyes. He walked one step behind Felix as they approached the stairs, waiting for the inevitable. 

Dante wished he could say that what he imagined was funnier than what actually happened. He watched as Felix walked down two steps, turned around to show Dante he was able to do it, and then lose balance and fall down a whole flight of stairs. He was laughing so hard he almost dropped the box he was holding. 

“It’s not funny, you asshole.” Felix said from the bottom of the stairs. He was holding onto the wall as he stood back up. Dante was walking down the stairs towards him, still laughing. 

“Here, you can take these boxes.” He wiped the tears from his eyes. He sets the box he was carrying down next to Felix and picks up the larger, heavier box. 

“I hate you.” 

“No you don’t.” Dante called back as he continued his walk to the cars.


	23. Tucker/Wash-"I'll wait."

It’s been two months. Two months since church died, two months since Tucker has left his room, two months since Carolina has talked to anyone, and it’s been two months of Washington constantly trying to put Tucker back together. 

“Tucker?” Wash knocked on his door for the third time that day. The first time was to wake him up, the second to drop off some food, and now to make sure everything was okay. 

When he heard no reply, he cautiously opened the door. Peeking his head around the door, he saw Tucker sitting on his bed, leaning his head against the wall. He had on the Meta’s helmet, so it was impossible for Wash to see what he was thinking. After spending so much time with the aqua soldier, it was easy for Wash to tell what he was thinking based on his face. Wash walked over to the bed. He sat down next to Tucker, whose head shot up and looked over at Wash. 

“Oh, it’s just you.” He sighed, setting his head back against the wall. “What do you want now?” 

“I just came to see how you were doing. To see if you wanted to talk or something.” 

“No, I don’t.” 

“It’s okay, I’ll wait. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Tucker.” Wash walked out of Tucker’s room, despite how much it hurt him to do so. He wanted to see Tucker be himself again. And, not to mention, he knows how much it hurts to have your best friend die. Wash never wanted Tucker to go through that, but now that he was, he wanted to do anything in his power to stop it. 

Wash did talk to him tomorrow; he walked in his room at about noon. He was met with the same scene he saw the previous night, it was like Tucker didn’t move all night. It was a possibility, all Tucker has done is listen to the different messages Church left behind. 

Almost everyone had their own message. Tucker let everyone use the helmet to listen to the message Church left for everyone and the one he left for each person on the way back to blood gulch, but he took the helmet for himself once they landed. Tucker listened to them all so many times, he could probably recite them from memory. 

Wash has been trying to separate Tucker from the helmet since the week after he got it. He got the rest of the armor, but Tucker fought tooth and nail to keep the helmet. Wash eventually gave up on trying to take the helmet. He understood it was the last link to Church he had, but it really wasn’t good for Tucker to have it. 

“Caboose misses you, you know. He asks me why you don’t come out of your room. He wants to come see and talk to you, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. His view of you is that of an older brother- a role model, if you will- and as of right now, you aren’t something he should aspire to be. I’m not asking you to be okay overnight, I just want you to make some sort of progress. I miss the old you: the person who was quick witted and fun to be around.” 

“I wish I was that person too, Wash. Trust me, nobody wants me to be okay more than I do. But as of right now, that seems impossible. Now if you excuse me, I would like to listen to my best friend’s last words.” Tucker spoke up; it was the most Wash has heard him say in months. 

“You remind me a lot of myself.” This small statement shocked Tucker. He had never seen the similarities between Washington and himself. Wash was an experienced fighter who knew what he was doing, Tucker was just a pathetic excuse of a soldier who was just trying his best. 

“Really?” Tucker scoffed. “How so?” 

“A long time ago, I was a young soldier- a scared soldier who wanted to be more than just another suit of armor. I was only 17 when I joined Project Freelancer. I was the youngest and most experienced soldier in my squad, and possibly the entire project. I became friends with the people in my group, we were all close. We each had someone we were closer to than the rest, but all of us were connected at the hip. I saw each of them die or I saw their dead bodies. And I know what it’s like to only have one thing left from your best friends. All I had left from Maine was the memory of our last moment together before he became the Meta, and I have a picture of South and CT, and I have a matching tattoo with North and York.” 

Wash was interrupted by the best sound he has heard in months: Tucker laughing. Wash sighed happily upon hearing it, he was glad there was a small chance he could have the old Tucker back. Even if it was just a small laugh about himself. 

“Anyway, like I was saying, I didn’t let the single memory or item I have from them consume my life. I was once the funny and joyous soldier, like you were. Then my friends left me and died, now I am- well, me. The point is, I don’t want you to have the life sucked out of you. I don’t want you to live with the thought of how you can no longer make the remainder of your friends smile.” 

“You still have Carolina.” 

“So? You still have Caboose, Carolina, Sister, the reds, and me. You have a hell of a lot more friends than I did. Your friends’ last memory of you was you crying and screaming as Carolina and I dragged you into the base. Don’t let that be the last thing they remember of you. You need to eventually go out there and show them you can get over this.” 

“What was the last memory your friends have of you?” 

“It was pretty similar to the one they have of you. I was fighting the guards who were trying to take me to get Epsilon implanted. I never wanted an AI, and when they forced me to get one, I wasn’t happy. So while they were dragging me away, I was kicking and screaming. I was begging my friends to help me, but there was nothing they could do. And when I woke up from recovery, they were all gone.” 

“Oh.” 

“Meaning that you need to go talk to at least one person before they all leave. They aren’t going to stay in the army forever, and if the first chance they get to leave comes before you leave your room, they are going to take it without thinking about what would happen to you.” 

“Okay.” Tucker took the helmet off. His greasy hair fell at his shoulders and tear tracks were evident on his face. Without the helmet his voice sounded scratchy, like he has been screaming for hours at a time. 

“Are you going to go talk to them? Or anyone?” 

“I might talk to Caboose.” 

“Thank you. I’m glad you took my advice.” 

“Yeah, thanks Wash.” He stood up shakily and walked towards the door. He turned around when he reached the door knob. “I know you never got a chance to listen to the message Epsilon left you. You should actually listen to it. It isn’t from Church, it from your Epsilon. I hope it will make you feel better about the whole AI thing. Put your mind at peace or some bullshit like that.” 

“I will. See you later, Tucker.” 

“Thank you Wash, seriously.”


	24. Donut/Maine-"Just because."

Maine had come home from a busy day of work. His job wasn’t the best, being mute didn’t offer a lot of jobs. He worked as an editor for the local newspaper, and occasionally he would edit for an author when presented the opportunity. It wasn’t what he wanted to do in life, but it was something he could do instead of sitting at home all the time. 

When he walked through the door of his house, he saw Donut sitting at the dining room table, with two meals set out. It was macaroni and cheese- Maine’s favorite food. He knew this meant Donut had something to tell him. He did this anytime he had to tell Maine something important. He did this when he adopted a puppy without consulting him and he did this when he promised Doc he could live a their house for a few weeks. 

“What is this?” Maine signed to Donut while walked towards him. 

“I made you dinner.” Donut spoke as he signed. He learned sign language for Maine even though he could hear perfectly fine. He learned it to be closer to Maine, and because it was Maine’s only way of communicating. 

“Why? What do you need to tell me?”

“Just because.” Donut shrugged. “And nothing, now sit down and eat. It’s going to get cold.” 

“You’re lying.” Maine sat down across from Donut. “Please tell me what it is.” 

“I’m serious. I don’t have to tell you anything.” 

“You’re a bad liar.” 

“Okay fine. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I guess I’ll tell you. Washington and CT are coming over this weekend.” 

“Was that so hard?” Maine smiled before starting his meal. 

“You still have to act surprised when they show up.”


	25. Carwash Siblings-"Look both ways."

They were young when Carolina’s dad explained their mom was never coming back. Carolina was six and Washington was four. He was old enough to understand that his mother was dead and that he was stuck with this person who wasn’t his dad. The last person who was genetically related to him was Carolina. The death of Allison had brought them closer than ever. 

When Wash turned twelve, Leonard snapped. He no longer wanted to have either kid in the house, Wash especially. They both had the personality of Allison, but Wash looked identical to his mother. He blames that for what continued on for the next three years. 

Leonard physically abused Washington. He never laid a hand on Carolina- he couldn’t hurt his own child, so he used Wash instead. Wash wasn’t his kid, he was just a problem he had to deal with. Carolina begged her father to lighten up on Wash, but he never did. 

That’s when Carolina started going to the gym everyday. She wanted to be tough in order to stop her father from hurting her little brother. It worked the first few times, Leonard stopped hitting Wash when she wasn’t around. Then during the night, or when Carolina was at work, he would take his anger out on the young blond. 

Wash was sixteen when he decided it was time to leave. Carolina didn’t want him to go, but she knew that would be best for him. He assured her that they would see each other again and that he would be okay on his own. That night Carolina helped Wash pack his bags and watched him leave after they shared their goodbyes. 

“I’ll miss you.” 

“I’ll miss you too, but I need to do this.” 

“I know.” Carolina wiped the tears from her eyes. “Make sure you look both ways. I don’t want you to get hit by a car, considering how much they don’t like you.” 

“I’ll see you later ‘Lina.” He kissed her cheek before turning around and walking down the street. 

When they agreed to see each other again, they didn’t expect it to be almost ten years later. Carolina had been roped into her father’s new project. She was told to find recruits she would want to be on a team with. Of course, she picked some people she had met in basic training, but there was one person she had to do a lot of searches for. 

Leonard was anything but pleased when he saw who the last person on the list of people for the top squad. He had hoped Carolina forgot her half-brother. In all honesty, he hoped the little brat had died after leaving the house. Turns out, much to his dismay, Washington was very well alive and had agreed to be on Carolina’s team.  
The first time they saw each other again, Wash was in his armor fully equipped with weapons. He was meant to be having a session with the Counselor about his past. When he showed up and saw Leonard he had his gun up in seconds. Wash was fully aware who was running this project, but he didn’t think he would ever have to speak with him. 

“I’m glad you agreed to meet with me, David.” The Counselor nodded at Wash. 

“Please just call me Washington.” 

“So you’ve decided to abandon the name your mother gave you?” The Director sneered at him. 

“No, people I like call me that. And last time I checked, I don’t particularly like you.” 

Leonard had raised his hand to hit Wash then, but he lowered it when Wash’s pistol was pointed directly at him. They didn’t talk much after that. 

The Director had purposely assigned Epsilon to Washington. He knew the baggage that came with that AI, but he wanted Washington to suffer. He was also sure to keep Wash behind while all of his friends escaped. He even assigned Washington as Recovery One so he would have to see all of his friends die. 

When he finally escaped the grasp of Project Freelancer, he was reunited with Carolina to fix the Epsilon unit. They exchanged stories of their lives leading up to that moment and explained to everyone how they knew each other. 

Wash accompanied Carolina and Church inside the facility to kill the Director. Each one of them gave a small speech as to how he ruined their lives. Wash’s was filled with anger as tears fled from his eyes while he cursed at the Director for the hell he caused him. Every event leading up to then had made Wash who he was. Most people wouldn’t change it, but Wash would change almost everything. Starting with the death of his mother.


	26. Sharkface/Felix-"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

Dante and Felix didn’t have the healthiest relationship. It was common for them to get so stressed out that they would start a fight with the other person. They even made an event out of it. They would push all of the furniture in their living room against the walls and throw punches in the middle of the room.

It rarely ever went as far to seriously injure one of them. The closest they have gotten was when Felix got a concussion, but that wasn’t from a fight, it was from the aftermath. Felix stood up dizzily and tried to walk up the stairs to the bathroom. He had gotten a bloody nose and he wanted to clean it up before he went to bed. He fell walking towards the stairs and hit his head against the railing. That was the fourth time in their entire relationship where Dante witnessed Felix cry. 

There were rules to their fights. They each knew their limits and how far they could go before it was too far. They didn’t want to hurt the other person, so they were as careful as one could be in a fist fight. 

“Hey, how was work?” Dante asked when Felix walked through the front door. 

“Terrible.” Felix grunted. He dragged himself to the kitchen and jumped onto the counter next to the stove. 

“I’ll move the furniture.” Dante called from the other room. Felix nodded even though he knew Dante wouldn’t see him. He cautiously stood up on the counter and reached at the top cabinets. Dante used them to hide the snacks he didn’t want to share. It was pointless considering Felix would just climb up to reach them. 

When Felix walked back into the living room, everything was pushed up against the walls, leaving the carpeted floor empty. Dante was standing in the middle, waiting for Felix to throw the first punch. 

Red overtook his vision as he ran towards Dante. Felix was doing everything he could to let out his frustration with the day on Dante, who was blocking and retaliating each blow. They went to different walls in the living room to catch their breath for a quick moment. Dante was getting tired of the fight that had been drawn out for about twenty minutes and he was hoping that Felix had relieved himself from his stressful day. 

“Felix, are we don-” He was interrupted by the ball of fury that came running towards him. Because he wasn’t expecting it, he fell over onto their glass coffee table, hitting his head against the wall behind him. 

The sound of glass shattering brought Felix back to reality. He looked around the room to see what was broken. There was a blood stain in the carpet (judging by the blood dripping from his chin, it was his), there was a dent in the wall, and then he saw Dante unconscious, lying on a pile of broken glass. 

“No.” He sucked in a sharp breath and ran over to Dante. He shook the younger man’s shoulders, trying to wake him up.

He didn’t want to take him to the hospital because the last time they did that, they were asked if their was a domestic violence problem between the two. They had to file a report and talk to a bunch of police officers. Felix’s parents made him live at their home in order to “protect him” from Dante. He couldn’t leave for a month, even though he promised there wasn’t anything going on between them. 

“Dante. Dante, wake up. Please, please.” Felix said in a panic. He was leaning over Dante, doing everything he could think of to wake him up. He only stopped panicking for a second when he saw Dante was still breathing. 

Felix pulled his phone out of his pocket. He was debating who he should call. His parents weren’t an option, he could try Locus, but he might be busy at work. He scrolled through his contacts, hoping his phone would choose the person that would help without asking too many questions. He stopped scrolling when the realization that Dante seriously needed help dawned on him. He tapped on Locus’ name and held the phone to his ear. 

“Hello?” 

“Locus? Locus, I need your help! Dante and I were fighting and I hit him and he passed out. I don’t know what to do.” He quickly spoke into the phone. 

“Is he dead?” 

“No, but he won’t wake up.” 

“Is he lying down or something?” 

“He is in a pile of broken glass against the wall. And now that I’m saying that, I realize I should move him.” 

“Yeah. Put him on the couch or something.” Felix put the phone in his back pocket without ending the call, and picked up Dante. He lied him down on the couch, lifting his head to put it on his lap. He fished the phone back out of his pocket and put it back up to his ear. 

“Okay, now what?” 

“You could wait for him to wake up, or you could take him to the hospital if your that worried.” 

“Okay. Then what do I do?” 

“Nothing. Once he wakes up, you’re done.” Locus said. 

“What? All you did was tell me to lay him on the couch!” 

“I don’t think there is much else you can do. Listen, I have to go back to work. Call me when he wakes up.” Locus hung up the phone, leaving Felix on his own again. He took Locus’ advice and sat there waiting for Dante to wake up.

He didn’t move for an hour and thirty minutes because he wanted to make sure Dante was okay as soon as he woke up. It felt like forever, but when Dante’s eyes finally opened, Felix couldn’t be happier. 

“You’re awake! Are you okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t meant to knock you out. I’m so sorry.” 

“What? Calm down, it’s fine.” 

“No it’s not! I hit you so hard you passed out for almost two hours! And our coffee table is shattered!” Felix yelled. 

“Felix, calm down. I’m fine, everything’s okay. We can buy a new coffee table.” 

“But you might have a head injury. We can’t buy you a new head.” 

“Seriously, stop worrying. If something is wrong, we would have known by now.” Dante sat up on the couch. 

“Okay.” 

“Come on, let’s clean up and we can go to bed.” Dante stood up, he nearly fell over, but he regained his balance after a second. He grabbed Felix’s hand, bringing him to the middle of the room. Felix scrubbed the blood stain out of the carpet and from his face while Dante moved the furniture back into place.


	27. CT/Wash-"Try some."

CT can’t remember a time she has ever been so bored. She didn’t want to be tasting different foods and desserts for her wedding. She didn’t care about the reception, they could have pizza for all she cared. However, Wash wanted the wedding to be perfect, and if it meant tasting different foods for three hours to make him happy, then she will do it. 

“So how do you feel about having a chocolate cake?” 

“I don’t care, pick whichever one is your favorite.” She crossed her arms over her chest and slumped back against the couch they were sitting on. 

“But it’s your cake too.” Wash insisted. 

“I know. It’s obvious you care a lot more about this than I do, so why don’t you get what you want.” 

“You got my opinion for your dress.” 

“Because your opinion matters to me.” 

“Have you decided what kind of cake you want?” The wedding planner who Wash hired walked back into the room. 

“No-” 

“Yes, we want vanilla with chocolate filling.” CT answered before Wash could. 

“You have to stop picking everything that I want, Connie.” 

“I don’t care about having a big wedding, I just wanted to get married to you. We could get married in Carolina’s backyard for all I care. But you want a big wedding, so you should be able to pick out what you want.” CT explained to him. 

“Fine, but I still want your ideas. It can’t be all about me.” Wash sighed, but let it go anyway. He did want to have an extravagant wedding, and it seemed the only way that was going to happen was if he made the majority of the decisions. 

“I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be back in a minute.” 

“Kay, have fun.” Wash called without paying attention to where she was going. He was picking out the frosting design he wanted on the cake. They finished picking out the desserts, so when Connie came back, Wash had four different plates in front of him. 

“Oh, good you’re back.” Wash wiped his mouth with a napkin. He picked up more of the food with his fork and held it out to CT. “Try some. You’ll love it, it’s French.”

“Do you like it?” Wash asks once she was done eating it. 

“Yeah, is this what you want to get?” 

“I don’t know, try this one too. It’s Dutch- I think.” CT has never been so bored, but at least she was getting free food out of it.


	28. None-"Drive safely."

“And you’re sure you are okay with this?” Tucker held the phone between his ear and his shoulder while he destroyed his closet looking for something to wear. 

“Yeah, dude, I’m great with kids.” Church replied. 

“Does Tex know you’re doing this?” 

“No, but she loves kids. She’ll melt as soon as she sees him.” 

“Oh, I didn’t see her as the kid type. But can you pick him up in, say, 20 minutes? That should give me enough time to get him ready with all of his stuff.” He finds a decent pair of pants to put on and grabs a random button-up shirt to wear with it. 

“Yeah, no problem.” Tucker says a quick ‘thank you’ and ends the call. 

“Junior! Wake up! You’re going to Uncle Church and Aunt Tex’s house for the day.” He yells across the hall at Junior’s bedroom door. 

“Why?” The small four year-old walks out of his room and into Tucker’s while rubbing his eyes. 

“I have a job interview and then I am going to lunch with a friend. But you’ll have a lot of fun with Uncle Church. I heard he got that new movie you wanted.” Tucker coaxed his kid into wanting to go. 

“Okay.” 

“He is going to pick you up in a little bit, go get dressed and brush your teeth. I’ll get you breakfast and turn on the TV.” Tucker scrambled around the house to accomplish all of his tasks. 

“I’m here.” Church walked through the front door without knocking. 

“Uncle Church!” Junior abandoned his bowl of cereal to hug Church’s leg. 

“He seems excited.” 

“I told him you bought that new movie he wanted to see.” 

“Thanks Tucker. I’ll have Tex pick it up on her way home.” Church picks up Junior, resting him on his side. 

“Here’s his bag, it has everything he should need for the day and there is extra clothes if he wants to spend the night or something.” Tucker hands the bag to Church, who grabs it with his free hand.

“Here, I’ll walk you to your car. I have to leave anyway.” He turns off all of the lights, sets the dishes in the sink, and turns off the TV. Tucker buckled Junior into the car seat that was already in Church’s car. 

“See you later, little man. Love you” 

“Love you too.” Junior waved as Tucker closed the car door. 

“I love you too, Tucker.” 

“Mhm, love you Chrurch.” Tucker said sarcastically. “Drive safely. I don’t want you or my kid dead.” 

“Yeah, yeah. See you later.” They both got into their cars, driving off in different directions.


	29. Grif/Simmons-"Well, what do you want to do?"

Simmons sat against the wall in the bathroom, staring a the three pregnancy tests lying on the edge of the bathtub. He had a timer set for three minutes, all that was left for him to do was wait until it went off. 

Coming out as transgender was hard enough for Simmons, but he didn’t know how he could deal with this. It took almost an entire year to tell everyone in Blood Gulch, and now, three years later, he had to tell them he might be pregnant. Granted, they were all okay with him being transgender, but this could cause so many problems. He would have to leave the UNSC, there is no way they would let a pregnant person in the army. And he would probably be sent away without Grif. 

He didn’t know what he was going to tell Grif. If he was pregnant, it would be Grif’s baby, there is no doubt in Simmons’ mind about it. He briefly thinks of hiding it from Grif. Maybe he could tell Sarge and have him send Simmons back home. Nobody would ever need to know. It wasn’t like Sarge to give away everyone’s secrets. But he thinks twice of it, he is a terrible liar- Grif would know something was wrong almost immediately. 

The timer went off, scaring Simmons more than he already was. He shut off the timer, and stared at the three pink sticks. 

“Two lines yes, one line no.” Simmons whispered to himself before grabbing the first stick. His breath was caught in his throat as he saw two lines. He rushed to pick up the other, hoping one of them would say no and give him a sense of relief. Upon seeing the other two had the same results, sobs racked his body. 

He no longer cared about who could hear him from the other side of the door. He was too concerned with what his future now held, rather than what was going on now. He no longer had to worry about just himself, he had to make sure his baby would be okay as well. 

His baby. It was weird to think that he could be pregnant. After so many years of being himself- as a boy- he had ruled out the possibility of ever having kids. Simmons kept reminding himself that this was his tiny human, and no matter how scared he was, he still had to take care of it. This was his responsibility, he had to face reality and deal with this. However, this was still new and he was still scared. 

“Simmons? Are you in there?” Donut knocked on the bathroom door. Simmons took a deep breath before answering, he didn’t want to Donut to know right now. It was common knowledge to everyone in the canyon, that once you told Donut, everyone would know almost immediately. 

“Yeah, why?” He wrapped the pregnancy tests in toilet paper and put them in the garbage. 

“Sarge wants to attack the blues and he wants you to go tell him he is doing a good job.” 

“Tell him I’m sick and to have Lopez do it.” 

“Okay. Hope you feel better.” 

“Thanks.” Simmons muttered. 

He sat back against the wall and stared at the door. He wasn’t thinking of anything, his mind was blank. It’s like his mind has chosen to ignore everything and just focus on the door he is looking at. He felt tears running down his face, but his mind wasn’t focused on any problem in particular. 

“Simmons?” Hearing his name brought him back to reality. He wasn’t sure how long he was staring at the door, but now Grif was on the other side of it. Hearing Grif say his name causes the baby to come back into his mind. 

“Yeah?” He couldn’t help it when his voice cracked. 

“Donut said you were sick. Can you please open the door?” Simmons reluctantly unlocked the door and then sat back against the wall. 

“Hey, are you alright?” Grif closed the door behind him, leaving the two of them in the small bathroom.  
“No.” Simmons knew he had to be honest. Grif would find out eventually, so it’s best to just tell him as soon as possible. 

“What’s wrong?” Grif joins Simmons on the floor. He wraps his arm around Simmons shoulders, and Simmons rests his head on Grif’s shoulder as he starts to cry again. 

“I-I’m pregnant.” He whispers. 

“Oh.” 

“I’m sorry. You won’t have to deal with it for long, I’ll have to go home soon.” 

“It’s okay. I’m not upset. And I’m going with you. I’m not leaving you alone with this.” Grif turned his head and kissed the top of Simmons’. 

“I’m scared, I don’t know what to do.” Simmons stared up at Grif. 

“Well, what do you want to do? It’s your body, I want you to do what you want.” 

“I don’t know. I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say.” 

“It’s okay. You don’t need to know right now. I’ll tell you what, we can go take a nap, and when we wake up, we’ll talk more. Okay?” 

“Okay.” Simmons nodded. They both stood up and walked to their shared bedroom. Grif laid down next to the wall, Simmons curled up on Grif’s side and let all of his worries fade away for the next few hours.


	30. Locus/Felix-"One more chapter."

He would never admit it, but this would always be Locus’ favorite part of the day. He would sit down on his bed and read the remaining chapter of his book. The room was dark except for the lamp sitting on his bedside table. He could hear the water from Felix’s shower running as he tried to sing quietly. 

As soon as Locus finishes reading the last page of the chapter, Felix walks out of the bathroom only wearing a pair of pajama bottoms. He uses a towel to dry his hair, and throws it towards the bathroom door when he deems his hair dry enough. Locus makes a mental note to hang it up later. 

Felix lies down on his side of the bed, staring at Locus expectantly. Locus reads a chapter of his book to Felix every night. Of course, Felix falls asleep before the chapter ends, so Locus would finish the last few pages the next night. 

When they first started this nightly routine, Locus would often question why Felix couldn’t just read on his own. He once handed Felix a book to read on his own. When Locus asked how he like it, Felix gave generic answers- none of which related to the story. Locus called him out on it, and Felix admitted he had really bad dyslexia. As a result, he didn’t like to read because it took so long for him to read a single sentence. Since then, Locus has read aloud to Felix every night. 

Felix would stay awake as long as he could. He wanted to know all of the story, not just the few parts here and there. It caused a problem with his tendency to fall asleep early, but Locus always filled him in on what he missed. They both enjoyed the system they had. Locus could read without Felix bothering him the entire time, and Felix liked it because he could fall asleep listening to Locus tell him a story. 

Felix listened to each word as Locus refreshes his mind about the last chapter and begins reading the new one. He felt apart of the story as the protagonist walked through the woods, trying to find the bad guy. He couldn’t remember why they were in the woods or why they were chasing each other, but it made the story more interesting so who was he to complain? 

“Wow, you stayed awake this entire time.” Locus closed the book, setting it down by his lamp. 

“Yeah, I’m not that tired. Can we read one more chapter?” 

“I guess.” Locus sighed and picked up the book. He flipped the page he stopped on and continued to read the next chapter. Not even three pages in, Felix’s soft snores filled the room. Locus smiled as he rolled his eyes and put the book next to lamp once again. He scooted down on the bed so he was no longer sitting up, and reached behind him to turn off the light. Then he wrapped Felix and himself with their blanket before finally closing his eyes and falling asleep.


	31. Tex/CT-"Don't worry about me."

“Is there anyway I can stop you from doing this?” Tex nearly begged CT. She had told her plant to join the Insurrection. Tex knew that meant she would not only lose the only person who trusted, but it also meant she would have to hunt her down for her armor. 

“No, I’m sorry. I need to do this, there is so much corruption and I’m sick of being a puppet for the Director.” CT has spent the last twenty minutes going through her belongings to see what was possible to bring with her- like a photo or something. She made a point to take the dog tags out from their box and set them aside. 

“Are you going to be okay? And you know I’m going to be put against you for your armor.” 

“I’ll be fine. These people are my friends, I trust them. Don’t worry about me.” 

“I’m gonna go. I’ll see you later, Connie.” Tex couldn’t bare to be in the room any longer. 

“Bye, Texas.” They were both painfully aware of the fact this was their last conversation together. Or at least the last conversation as team mates. The next time they see each other it won’t be under good circumstances.

Tex waited for everyone to get back from their latest mission. She waited in their rec room, hoping CT decided to back out of her plan. The idea of that even sounded ridiculous, CT always did what she put her mind to. When everyone came back, she got up and solemnly walked out when CT wasn’t in the group of freelancers. 

Two weeks later the Director requested her presence in the heist room. She already knew he was going to tell her go find CT and tae her armor back. She would try and fight the director, telling him he had more than enough and that one suit of armor wouldn’t make a difference, but it would be futile.

He also had Carolina and her group tag along. Which wouldn’t be a problem if Carolina could learn when she hit her limit and to back away from a fight that wasn’t hers. Tex knew that as soon as she slipped away fromt the rest to find CT, Carolina would notice and follow her immediately. Tex was just going to ask for CT’s armor, hoping she would just hand it over to a friend, but with Carolina there, a fight was almost guaranteed. 

Tex took her chance to stray away when York and Wyoming were arguing. She ran next to the walls of the facility, where she could easily hide behind one of the boxes if someone notices her. She turned around to see if they were still bickering when she got to the door. All she saw was Carolina using her speed unit to run through the middle of the room, she just dodged bullets as they flew past her. 

She didn’t want Carolina involved, she rarely did, so she opened the door and closed it right after. Tex was aware that a door would not stop Carolina, but it could buy her sometime. She scanned the room around her, noticing CT nor the Insurrection leader was there. Cursing under her breath, she went through the room to the next door. 

It took three more doors before she found the pair. CT was sitting on a desk talking to the leader. It took a few seconds for them to notice her presence and to point their weapons at her. 

“I just need your armor. I don’t want to fight.” Tex put her arms up to show she had no interest in harming them. 

“I’m keeping my armor, I told you that.” 

“I know, but if I can’t get it, Carolina is going to show up and try to hurt you. Both of you.” She looked back and forth between the both of them. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Me too.” Tex pulled her gun from it’s holster on her back and pointed it at the Insurrectionist leader. She fires the first shot, missing intentionally. She didn’t want to hurt them, but she had to follow orders. CT put her gun on the spot she was previously sitting on, and pulled out two knives. She ran towards Tex, sticking a knife in her shoulder through a gap in her armor. 

Carolina busted into the room, her gun shooting at CT in an instant. Tex stumbled backwards and then out of the room when she saw CT hit the ground with blood pooling out of her stomach. In a fit of rage, she ran back to the main room of the facility and through all of the bullets that were still flying, not caring about the ones that hit her all over her body. She ignored the unusual amount of pain she felt, and ran out to the pelican waiting for them to evacuate. 

“Just go. They can get another ride back.” She told the pilot, who took off minutes later. 

Upon arriving at the MOI, she ignored the Director’s orders for a medic and fled to CT’s room. She didn’t know what she was looking for, all she knew was that there had to be something. CT must have known something she wanted Tex to know. After finding nothing in her room, she went to the locker room. She doesn’t come here often enough to know who had which locker, so she had to go through all of the nameplates, to find the one that read “Connecticut.” 

It only took five minutes of searching before she found it. Tex nearly ripped off the door to open it. She ruffled through all of the belongings, but once again found nothing important. However, there was a picture of her and CT and another of her friends together that Tex decided to hold onto. 

Tex sat down on the benches, thinking of all the different places the object could be. She already checked all of CT’s stuff. She thinks of checking her room, but dismisses the idea- the Director always had cameras to see who walked in and out of Tex’s room. The only thing she had that wasn’t in her room was an extra kevlar suit in her locker. 

She stood up from the bench and walked to her locker. She opened it and found the dog tags she saw CT take out of a box. She sighed in relief as she left the locker room. She walked back to her room, where there was a medic waiting to treat the wounds she had got from running through the shower of bullets. She doesn’t think twice as to why she can’t feel them anymore, blaming it on adrenaline, she puts the dog tags under her pillow and walks back out to see the medic still waiting. 

“Be quick.” She says as she follows him to the hospital wards on the ship.


	32. Church/Donut-"It looks good on you."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For MoralCode who want Church/Donut

The first time in years they were all allowed to visit their homes was when Donut and Church started talking. It was after taking down Project Freelancer once and for all, they were allowed to leave. Whether it be permanently, or just two weeks before coming back to Blood Gulch. Everyone had gone home, or went with a friend to their home with a promise to return. Each of them had their reasons for coming back, it was mostly how the red and blues were their only friends. The only person who wouldn’t return was Doc, but if Caboose continued his team-killing habit, he wouldn’t be gone for long. Church and Donut were the only ones to use their one trip home to go to Blood Gulch. 

Church asked to be removed from Carolina in order to go back to Blood Gulch. Carolina was hesitant about leaving him there, but Church was given a robot body to inhabitant during his stay. He knew he didn’t have a proper home, where he started was on the MOI and his earliest memory was at Blood Gulch- to him, that was his home. He could stay there and relax on his own. Sure he would be bored on his own, but they would come back eventually. 

Donut didn’t want to go home. He lived in foster until he signed up for the UNSC. He lived with about ten different foster parents before he finally turned 18. He was being kicked out of the system and he was desperate to find someone who would take him in. The day before his 18th birthday he signed up for the UNSC. Nobody had adopted him, so he decided to find a stable home in the army. He decided he would stay at red base on his own. 

Neither of them were expecting anyone else to choose Blood Gulch as their vacation spot. It was a mix of happiness and dread when they both headed towards the same aircraft. They were excited they wouldn’t be completely alone for however long everyone will be gone, but they also realized they would be on separate sides of the canyon. 

“Out of everyone I could be stuck in this canyon with, I’m sort of glad it’s you.” Church said once they were dropped off. He was helping Donut bring his bags to red base before he headed over to blue base.  
“Oh, thanks. You too, I guess.” Donut lead the way through the base to his room. 

“You’re welcome to stay over here if you want. I mean there isn’t much else to do in this canyon.” 

“Sure, but I’m gonna head to blue base real fast. I want to see if my old sniper rifle and stuff is over there.” Donut waved bye to Church, who walked across the canyon. 

When he returned to red base, he walked into Donut’s room. He knocked on the door, waiting for Donut to say it was alright to come in. He walked in and Donut was standing in front of a mirror wearing a pastel pink skirt and a white blouse. 

“How do I look? It’s been a while since I could wear something nice.” 

“It looks nice on you.” 

“Thanks, I agree. He turns away from the mirror and sits down on his bed. 

“I don’t have much to do, so if you want to sit and talk it’s fine with me.” 

“Okay.” Church sits next to Donut on the small bed. 

“Do you want to take off your armor?” 

“I’m an AI; this is my body.” 

“Oh, sorry.” 

They spent a week telling stories and talking to each other about all sorts of things. Two weeks into their stay, Donut let Church ditch the body and become Donut’s AI. Three weeks in, everyone came back. Church went back to Carolina, Sarge told Donut not to talk to dirty blues, and everything went back to normal. Except for the nights where Church would stray away from Carolina long enough to have a small conversation with Donut.


	33. North/York/Wash-"Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

“Wash, be quiet!” York whispered. 

“It wasn’t me, it was North!” 

“Both of you, be quiet.” They whispered back and forth as they walked out of the house. They had to go get the kids’ Christmas gift from South’s house. Between Theta and Epsilon begging for a puppy and Delta giving different reasons as to why a puppy would be good for everyone, they decided to just suck it up and buy a puppy. 

They were forced to leave it with South because of the kids’ never ending want to explore every room in the house. It was seven months old, but they bought it last week. Everything they needed was at South’s house, waiting for them to pick it up. Which is what they were doing now, at four in the morning, Christmas day. 

“We have to be quick. Delta wakes up early on Christmas. And if one of the wakes up, the others will wake up and notice we’re gone.” York said. They all knew that this present would mean the world to all of them, and it would be awful if it was ruined because they saw their parents walk in with their gifts. 

The only one of the kids that wasn’t adopted by the three was Delta. He was York’s child from a previously relationship. York had gotten a girl pregnant only three weeks after they started dating. She broke up with him after Delta was born, leaving him to raise Delta on his own. York met North when Delta was three, and then they met Wash when he was six. Delta was now 14 and considered North and Wash his parents instead of just having one parent. 

Epsilon was adopted first. He gravitated towards Wash, who was 23 at the time. Epsilon only let Wash hold him, feed him, or anything that was necessary to keep him alive. As a graduating college student it was hard for Wash to take care of a baby and keep up with his classes. It drove him insane, he thought he was a bad parent for not giving Epsilon his full attention. Once he had six weeks of homework to make up, York and North forced Wash to focus on school and give them a chance to help with the baby. 

Theta was the youngest child. He was adopted when he was four, and he had to be with one of the adults at all times. They shrugged it off as him being excited. They didn’t actually consider it a problem until they tried to leave while South was babysitting. Theta would not let the leave. He screamed and cried until they could get him to fall asleep. It was North who brought to everyone’s attention that Theta had separation anxiety, since then they have worked fixing it. Now, almost three years later, Theta is more comfortable with his parents leaving. 

North walked up to his sister’s house and unlocked it with the key he was given when she bought the house. He walked in quietly and walked towards the puppy lying on the couch. He picked it up, placing it into the carrier he brought from the backseat of the car. He grabbed the carrier and walked out to the car. Wash excitedly took the puppy out of the carrier and held it to his chest. North walked back inside to get the rest of the things. 

“This was definitely not a mistake.” Wash stopped cooing at the puppy to talk to North and York. 

“Yeah, I’m sure it will be fun.” York said. He was slowly falling asleep against the car window. 

“The kids will be happy; that’s all that matters.” North smiled and rested his hand on York’s thigh.  
Wash puts the puppy back in the carrier.  
“I feel excluding. You guys always make me sit in the back.” 

“You can sit up front next time.” York mumbled. 

They arrived home and put the pet carrier under the tree covered in different decorations.  
Between driving to South’s, getting everything, and then driving back home, they made it home in about an hour. They had until at least 6 to sleep. 

“Daddy! Dad! Papa! Wake up!” Theta runs into their bedroom with Epsilon and Delta in tow. 

“Merry Christmas, little man.” Wash sits up from between York and North. 

“Can we go open our presents now?” 

“How ‘bout you guys stay here and wake up Dad and Papa while I go get your present.” Wash crawls over York and walks downstairs. He takes the puppy out of the carrier, holding it the same way he did earlier that morning. 

“Alright guys.” Wash knocks on the door before opening it. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.” He walks into the room and places the puppy onto their hands. Theta’s eyes snap open to stare at the puppy. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Theta yells repeatedly. Epsilon drops his hands from the pile to run towards Wash and hug him. Delta sat down on the edge of the bed with the puppy in his lap. 

“What’s his name?” Delta asked as he plays with the puppy’s paws. 

“You guys get to name him.” North spoke up. 

“What are you going to name him?” York rubs his right eye tiredly. 

“I like spot because of the spots all over his body.” Theta points at the different spots. 

“It’s dalmatian, it’s supposed to have spots.” Delta informs. 

“Don’t ruin the kid’s fun.” Epsilon shoves Delta’s shoulder playfully. 

“Okay, Spot it is. Now I’m going back to bed.” York kisses the top of the kids’ head and lies back down on the bed.


	34. None-"That's okay, I bought two."

Grif stared at the ground as he walked down the silent street. He was focusing on the rock he kicked forward with every step. He only looked up when something cut through the layer of silence over the entire street. It was late at night and almost every house had it’s lights off. The only places that didn’t were the store on the corner and the house that was expecting Grif’s arrival any second. He stopped at the corner store to buy two beers and a pack of potato chips. Then he walked out of the store and continued his trek to Tucker’s house. 

“Hey, what did you need to talk about?” Tucker ran his hand through his unkempt hair as he answered the door. It was almost the middle of the night and Grif felt bad for waking him up, but he was the only person he could think of to talk to. 

“I just need somewhere to stay and drink a beer.” 

“I don’t have any. Sorry.” Tucker closed the door slowly. 

“That’s okay. I bought two.” Grif pushes against the door, inviting himself into the home.He practically fell onto the couch and patted the spot next to him inviting Tucker to sit next to him. Setting the bag of chips on the end table then handed a beer to Tucker and took one for himself. 

“And you’re sure you don’t have something you wanted to talk about?” Tucker sipped at his beer.

“Nah. Simmons and I just got into a fight; it’ll be over by tomorrow morning. I only left because he needed space, he was really angry today.” 

“Why was he angry?” Tucker tried to get Grif to talk. He figured if he was going to be kept awake, he might as well have some entertainment. 

“Because I was late for dinner. I had to go help Kai- her most recent boyfriend cheated on her and she was really upset about it. And I’m the only person she really has to talk to, so I went over there. I told Simmons I wouldn’t know what time I would be home, and he said it was okay. If I knew he wanted to surprise me with this nice dinner, I would have come home earlier.” 

“Did you tell him that?” 

“I tried, he wouldn’t listen to me. He yelled at me and then slammed the bedroom door after he walked in.” 

“Oh.” 

“It’s okay. Our fights don’t last long, he’ll call me at like five asking where I am and saying he is so worried. I’ll say I’m sorry and then I’ll go home. I’ll be gone before you even wake up.”  
“Alright?” 

“Night.” Grif set his empty bottle next to the unopened chips and walked upstairs to where he knew the guest bedroom was. He fells asleep almost instantly, but was woken up only few hours later from a frantic Simmons begging him to come back.


	35. None-"After you."

“Do we have to do this?” Palomo asked. It was the year anniversary of the end of the war and his fellow lieutenants wanted to go to the outskirts of Armonia. Because they weren’t allowed in the capital due to the radiation, they were going to the nearest town with the best view of the destroyed city. It just so happens, this nearest town is the same town Palomo and Bitters grew up in. 

Palomo wasn’t aware of the destination, he was just being dragged along. If he knew it would be his hometown, he wouldn’t have went with them. He was scared of what he would see.. It was abandoned when the war started, and because it was so close to Armonia, most of the residents chose to join the Federal Army, but Palomo chose to join the New Republic.When the armies were forced to act as one, his entire family chose to pretend he didn’t exist. Not to mention, the place isn’t in the nicest condition. Buildings were falling down, there were bullet shells and blood on the ground, and overall, it had a bad vibe to it. 

“You should go see your house, Bitters.” Jensen said. 

“It would be a good opportunity. We have to go back to base eventually, and there is no saying when we’ll get the chance to come back.” Smith sided with Jensen. 

“I’m not even old enough to be in the army. I don’t get why I need to stay at the base.” Palomo mumbled angrily.

Kimball wanted to keep everyone on the army bases while the new government was being formed. It was a useless rule that the Feds didn’t follow, but the New Republic was loyal and refused to go against Kimball’s orders. Palomo could leave anytime he pleases, but he knows that his family won’t accept him after he switched sides and that his new family were all his fellow soldiers who decided to stay. He also knew he wouldn’t make it on his own. He was sixteen with no one to help him, so he just stayed where he knew he would be protected. 

“Fine, we can go see my house, but then we need to go see Palomo’s.” Bitters didn’t want to see his home and he thought if he had to go do this, so would Palomo. 

“After you.” Palomo held his hand in the direction the were walking. 

Bitters knew that whatever was left of his family would be back at the house. Even if it was falling apart, they would fix it and resume life there. He also knew that they wouldn’t be happy to see him. Bitters’ story is much like Palomo’s in the aspect they both chose different sides of the war than their families. The small difference was how Bitters was originally in the Federal Army. He was in it until he heard a speech from Kimball being streamed on their radios. The army was told to turn off their radios and ignore it, but Bitters left his on. He was curious and wanted to know what this other person was talking about. 

He heard Kimball say everything he thought about the civil war. It was an easy decision for him to leave the next chance he got. If he was being forced to fight in a war, he might as well fight for the side with the same beliefs as him. He continued to listen to the New Republic’s radio channel until he was given the chance to slip away. One night while he was on border patrol, he heard Kimball give the coordinates to the next recruitment. He slipped away that night and went to the coordinates. He spent three days in the building and on the day of the recruitment, he put his armor a fair distance away from the building and signed up for the New Republic. When his family saw him again, his two older brothers beat him until he was bloody and bruised, then he never heard from them again. He wasn’t even sure if they were still alive. 

“Well, here we are. It’s nothing special.” Bitters announced when they walked up to the nicest house they’ve seen so far. It was obvious the house had been rebuilt and there would be people living inside. 

“Okay, that was a nice moment we all shared. Now, let’s go see Palomo’s house.” Bitters tried to push the three away from the house before they were noticed. The others knew what happened to Bitters and decided it would be best to just leave, so they followed Palomo down various streets to his house. 

His house didn’t look as good Bitters’. Even before the war it wouldn’t have looked as nice. Palomo lived with a family of four kids and a single mother. He was the second youngest child and didn’t get much attention as the other kids. The two older kids were twins who both set out to work in the capital to help support the family, they were adored for it dearly by their mother. The youngest was only two years old, so he needed a lot of attention. 

They all walked into the tiny home, looking around curiously. Palomo didn’t talk about his past much. It was weird for them to see his past instead of hear it through stories. It gave pictures to a wordless story. There were a few pictures hanging on the wall, broken glass on the floor, and everything was a mess. 

“Can we leave?” Palomo asked quietly. Seeing the home where he wasn’t accepted hurt more than he thought it would. He didn’t want to stick around any longer than he had to. 

“Yes, I’m sure Kimball wants us back at base anyway.” Bitters was once again pushing everyone away from the house. If anyone could understand how Palomo felt, it was him. He knew it was making Palomo upset to see his old house, so he felt the need to make everyone leave. 

“It’s going to be a long walk.” Smith said. 

“That’s why we should go as soon as possible so we aren’t out in the dark.” 

“Thank you.” Palomo said quietly to Bitters when they fell behind everyone walking out. 

“No problem, kid.” Bitters grinned under his helmet. He knew how Palomo felt when everyone made fun of him for his age. Bitters, Jensen, and Smith were all nearly a decade older than Palomo, and they would often remind him of that.

“I’m not that young!” 

“Yeah, sure you aren’t.” Bitters sped up to catch up with Jensen and Smith, Palomo doing the same seconds later.


	36. "We'll figure it out."

It was the last mission they were required to go on. She just had to make it through this last mission to get her beloved AI. They were all rooting for her, it was no secret how bad she wanted to have and AI like her brother. Everyone wanted her to have one, but she had been seriously injured on the mission they just returned from. 

They were running across the roofs of the different buildings in the city. South miscalculated how high she would need to jump to make it to the next rooftop. Her chest landed on the ledge of the building. She held onto the concrete lip surrounding the roof, trying her best to pull herself onto the roof. 

“South!” North turned around to try and help her. 

“Just go! I’ll meet you at the extract point!” 

South continued to try to pull herself up onto the roof. She placed one hand in a position she knew she could pull herself up if she could get her other hand in a similar position. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hold her body weight on her left hand. She fell down half of the building until she landed on the conveniently placed fire escape. She could feel that her lower ribs were broken.There was no way to tell if they punctured any of her organs unless she took off her armor, and she knew it would be safer to keep her armor on instead of exposing herself where the enemies could find her. All she could do was send her coordinates to her team so they could come get her when they finished the chase. 

North was the one who carried her onto the ship and held her hand while she cried about how everything hurt and she couldn’t breath. North knew South would consider that moment the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to her. She tried to be bad ass around all of her friends, so crying and being injured in front of all of them was not something she ever wanted to happen. 

All of her friends sat outside the doors to the operating rooms. They weren’t allowed to watch the surgery like Wash could for Maine’s because there were too many of them and they all refused to leave each other alone. There were no chairs available to sit in, instead, all of them were lining the wall that faced the door. As soon as it opened, they would be right there waiting for the news. 

North refused to leave; however, the others split into two groups. One group would stay for a few hours while the other did productive things, and then they would rotate. It took three hours of surgery and five hours of being examined by different doctors. The sixth hour, almost every doctor on the ship was rushing through the doors keeping South from her brother, teammates, and friends. York called the other group back to the hallway, that way if there was news about South, everyone would be there to hear it. 

“I assume you are the group here for Agent South Dakota?” Everyone stood up from their spot on the ground, nodding. “We’re sorry to tell you Agent South Dakota died while recovering from surgery. She had internal bleeding and she lost too much blood in a short amount of time.” 

“No.” North gasped, tears ran down his face. South was annoying at times, but she was his twin and he didn’t want to go through life without her. 

“In better news, her son is okay, but he was born almost two weeks early. He will have to stay with the medics for a few weeks until he is stable. In that time, Agent North Dakota, as he only relative on the ship, you will have to choose what you want to do with the baby. The Counselor will have a meeting with you in about a week to talk with you about your options.” 

“Her son?” York asks. North was in and even worse state of shock, so York took it upon himself to ask for him. 

“Agent South Dakota was pregnant. She didn’t gain much weight, so it is understandable that you wouldn’t have noticed. You can visit the baby, but only two people are allowed in at a time. Also, Agent North Dakota, you will need to choose a name.” 

“O-Okay. York, will you c-come with me?” 

“Of course, come on.” York stand up with North, keeping his hand on his best friend’s shoulder as a form of comfort and reassurance. 

They followed the nurse through the doors they sat behind, walking into a room none of them have ever been in before. There was a small crib in the middle of the room. North stared at the small baby sleeping in it. He was possibly the smallest baby North had ever seen. He resembled South greatly: milky white skin, blonde hair, narrow jaw, and long eyelashes. North wasn’t even sure who the baby’s dad was or if he even knew he had a child. 

“He’s so cute!” Theta popped up on North’s shoulder. 

“I know. Theta? I need you to be quiet for a little bit. I’m sorry, but I need to think right now.” 

“Okay.” Theta disappeared, keeping his thoughts out of North’s. 

“What are you going to name him?” York asked when he saw the nurse walked towards the room with an envelope that he assumed held the birth certificate. 

“Theodore Alexander Dakota.” 

“You’re going with you agent name?” 

“It’s who I am now, might as well pass it on. Besides, it sounds better with the name.” North offered York a sad smile. 

“I’m gonna go talk to the others.” York patted North’s shoulder then walks out as the nurse walks in. 

“You can just put the papers down, I’ll fill them in before I leave.” He says to the nurse while he stares at Theodore. “And is it okay if I picked him up?” 

“As long as you are super careful, I won’t tell anyone.” She smiles and walked back out of the room after setting the papers on a table near the crib. 

He cautiously scoops the baby up in his arms. Theodore is small enough that he could fit on North’s for arm. He stared down at Theodore, becoming more attached to him every passing second. He knew the Counselor was going to try and make North give him up for adoption back on Earth, but North knew he wouldn’t be able to part with him. 

“Hey, Theo.” North spoke in a soft voice, looking down at the sleeping baby. “I’m your Uncle North. I hate to give bad news so early in our introductions, but your Mommy and Daddy won’t be around in your life. I’m sorry, but all you have is me and all of your Mommy’s friends. You’ll like Uncle York the best, he’s like a brother to me.” North sniffles as he feels tears welling up in his eyes. 

“I’m not going to lie to you: it’s going to be tough, just the two of us. But we can do this; we’ll be our own little family. I’m going to leave the project and we can go live in a better place for you. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out.” He kisses the top of the baby’s head. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow Theo.” North signs the papers left on the table and walks back out to where his friends are waiting. 

“How are you?” 

“I’ll be okay.” He smiles at his friends who were all worried about him.


	37. South/Sister-"Can I kiss you?"

“Did you see the new neighbours moving in yesterday?” Grif asked while they ate their dinner. 

“No, what did they look like?” 

“They were twins, a girl and a boy. Really pale, extremely light hair, the girl had the tips dyed purple.” 

“Oh, cool.I wonder if I’ll meet them.” Kai says, eating the last bite of her meal. She stands from the table, going to the kitchen where she rinsed her plate off in the sink. She left it there to wash later. 

“You could go say hi now.” Grif suggested, following her actions. 

“I’ll do it later. I’m tired, I think I’ll just go to sleep or something.” Kai walks up the stairs to her room. She sits on her bed next to the open window. She checks her phone then replies to the few missed text messages. The only important one was from Tucker asking her to babysit this weekend. 

“Do you always look that good in a crop top?” A new voice scares her, making her drop her phone on the floor. She looks around for the source of the voice. 

“Over here!” Kai looks out the window where the neighbour is waving out of hers. The windows were always next to each other, Kai never bothered to put curtains up because the house had been for sale for as long as she could remember. She just assumed nobody was going to move in, but now it looks like she will need to invest in something to cover the window. 

“Oh, hi.” Kai gives a small wave to the blond in the other house. 

“Hey. My name’s Claire, but you can just call me South.” 

“Alright. I’m Kaikaina. I go by Kai, in case you were wondering. And to answer your question, I look good no matter what I wear.” She laughs softly. 

“I’m sure you do.” 

“So why do you go by South?” She tries to strike up a conversation. As a social butterfly with a small group of friends, Kai was always looking for new people to talk to. 

“Because my last name is Dakota. My twin brother, Andrew, goes by North. It was a joke at first, but it stuck, so.” South shrugs. 

“Better story than my name. Kaikaina just means sister in Hawaiian, so that’s what they named me.” 

“So, it looks like we will be spending a lot of time talking. Tell me about yourself.” 

“I’m 19, my favorite color is yellow because it’s a happy color, and I think movies are the worst kind of first date.” 

“Well, I’m 23, my favorite color is purple just because, and I want to take you out on a date.” 

“Oh- uh, sure. When do you want to go?” 

“How about tomorrow at two? We could go to lunch, maybe?” 

“Okay. I’m gonna go talk to my brother, I’ll see you later.” Kai smiles before walking out the door. 

“Grif!” She scream while she runs down the stairs. 

“What?” 

“I have a date! With the neighbour.” 

“Which one?” 

“The girl; her name is South.” 

“South?” 

“Technically it’s Claire, but names don’t matter.” 

“Okay, well, I’m happy for you.” 

Kai walks back up to her room. After changing out of her shorts for a comfy pair of sweatpants, she climbs into bed. She stares out the window to see South unpacking boxes. She falls asleep watching South walking bath and forth putting her things where they belong. 

~~

She wakes up facing away from her window. Sitting up and running her hand through her hair, she walks downstairs to the empty house. Grif had work today, there was a note on the fridge saying what time he would be home and wishing her luck on her date if he wasn’t home in time. 

The clock read one o’clock. Almost everyday Kai slept this late, there wasn’t much for her to do in the day, so she didn’t see a reason in waking up early. If there was something she needed to that was before noon, she would wake up early, but it wasn’t often those events happened. Unfortunately, her date was in an hour and she didn’t know if she would have enough time to get ready. 

She rushed up the stairs and back into her room. Picking her outfit for dates normally took about thirty minutes, but because she was running out of time, she grabbed the first dress in her closet. It was plain white with thin straps and a tan belt to go under her chest. Thinking the dress looked plain on its own, she grabbed a light blue jean jacket to wear over it. She put on the dress then started her hair and makeup. She straightened her hair because it took the least amount of time, and then put on her usual makeup. She walked back to her closet to put on a pair of sandals that were the same color as the belt on her dress and to grab her handbag. 

There was a knock on the door as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She walked to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. South was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a red flannel over a white t-shirt, and a pair of plain black shoes. 

“Are you ready to go?” 

“Of course. I totally didn’t wake up and hour ago.” Kai laughed nervously. 

“I saw you scrambling to get ready through the window. It’s okay, I won’t judge you.” 

The date went along smoothly. Neither of them had a car to drive, so they were stuck walking to the coffee shop, but it wasn’t too terribly far away. Neither of them were complaining, it gave them more time to talk to each other. The only problem they had was arguing over who would pay for their drinks. South won in the end, but only with a promise that Kai pays next time. South knew they would argue then too, but she was excited that there would be a second date. 

“I had a lot of fun today.” Kai admits when South drops her off at her door. 

“Me too.” 

“I can’t wait to do it again. Maybe next week?”

“Yeah, of course.” 

“Okay, I’ll see you later.” Kai turned to open the door and walk inside.

“Wait!” South interrupted, her face turned red and she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “Can I kiss you?” 

Instead of answering verbally, Kai simply leaned over and placed her lips on South’s. She pulled away after a second and walked inside her house. 

“I saw all of that.” Grif shocked her. She thought he would still be at work. 

“Shut up.” She mumbled before sitting next to him on the couch to tell him everything that had happened.


	38. Caboose/Tucker/Wash"I like your laugh."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I combined prompts 38 and 39, chapter 39 will carry on where this chapter leaves off.

“At first glance, there appears to be nobody in either base. I’m going to the blue base for confirmation.” 

“Report back with information.” 

“Will do, Command.” Wash stops the call, and walks toward ble base. 

“Hello?” He called through the doorway. “Is anyone here?” 

“What do you want?” A dark skinned man walks out of the base. He is only wearing a pair of loose shorts, showing off his top surgery scars, along with others he accumulated through the UNSC. He looks at Wash, raising an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak. 

“I’m Agent Washington of Project Free-” 

“Let me guess. You’re one of the last surviving members of Project Freelancer and you need to know about the AIs that have been running through this canyon? I’m gonna say it was Omega. I’m going to have to tell you what happened, despite it being the same thing that has happened at every other base. Now, if you excuse me, I need to go pack my few belongings because I’m being relocated tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, how did you know that? Has another Freelancer been here?” Wash tilts his head to the side in confusion. 

“No, but every time something with an AI or something weird happens, you Freelancers get involved. The last thing to happen at this base was Omega, then everyone was relocated. I seriously need to go, if you want to continue talking you’re gonna have to come inside. I’m Tucker, in case you were wondering” Tucker turns around to walk back into the base. He may have had only a few things, but he needed to sort everything out. As far as he knew, he was being sent into the desert for an undetermined amount of time. He wrapped a picture of Caboose and him in a t-shirt so it wouldn’t break on the journey. He pulled the half-empty box off of his bed, moving it over to the corner of the room. 

“So Agent Washington-” 

“Wash. Just call me Wash.” 

“So Wash,” Tucker repeats himself. “I don’t think it’s fair I’m the only one out of armor.” 

“It’s your choice to not have armor on.” 

“But don’t you think it would be better to- I don’t know- not have armor on. Or those uncomfortable Kevlar suits?” Tucker walks up to Wash, pulling his helmet off. Wash looks at Tucker with wide eyes, but continues to pull of the rest of his armor. 

“This is going to be-” 

“-so much fun!” Caboose yells at the soldier walking in front of him. He has been at his new base for about a week. Since the beginning of that week, the blue team that consisted of 11 people, now only had 8. The other soldiers had to tell him he was going to get his own room in the basement just to keep him from hurting one of them for putting him in a holding cell. 

“Yeah, you can just hang out here for a little while.” The man behind him who held the small box of things Caboose brought with him laughed. 

They put Caboose and his stuff in the small cell and locked the door when they walk out. The two men nearly ran away from the holding cell. Even though they knew Caboose didn’t have any weapons- they had checked before they started walking down to the basement. But the soldier had impeccable strength, he could take down the two soldiers in under a minute. 

What the soldiers didn’t know was how Caboose’s only intention is to help. He doesn’t want to cause harm to anyone, he just wants to help. Everytime he killed Church, he was trying to help. When he killed the three members of this team, he was trying to protect the reds, who were slowly approaching. He wasn’t shooting at the reds, he recognized Grif and Simmons who were leading the attack. Two of the blues tried to run up and hurt the reds, but Grif and Simmons are Caboose’s friends, he didn’t want them to get hurt. He killed the third person when he came up to pull the gun away from Caboose. Caboose slammed the gun forward into the person’s head. It gave them a severe concussion and the Sergeant told Caboose he had to take care of the person since it was his fault. He forgot to wake them up one hour, and the person died in their sleep. 

While in the cell, Caboose tried to make the place look like his room in Blood Gulch. He pulled the mat that was meant to act as a bed, into the left corner of the room. He put a few pictures to the right of the mat and put his folded clothes at the foot of the bed. He only had three pictures: one of him and all of his sisters, one of him and his oldest sister before she left for the UNSC, and one of him and Tucker making silly faces outside of his old base. 

He had twelve sisters in all. His parents were so desperate to have a son, they didn’t stop having kids until Caboose was born. He didn’t get along with most of his sisters. They didn’t like him because he was treated differently than they were. He wasn’t the brightest child, so their parents treated him with special care. However, he and his oldest sister, Casey, were best friends growing up. There was a fourteen year age gap between them, but as soon as Caboose could talk, they became really close. She helped him with school work, he would draw her pictures of her flying different space crafts. She desperately wanted to be a pilot, so when she saw there was a military program that needed a pilot, she signed up immediately. She left when Caboose was thirteen, he hasn’t seen or heard from her since. 

The picture of him and Tucker was his favorite. He and the aqua soldier would hang out a lot at the base. Once Church died, Tucker became his new best friend. When Church came back, Caboose was tempted to go back to Church, but he had more fun with Tucker anyway. Tucker would listen to him and respond when it was appropriate, they would play around in the empty grass behind blue base, and they took pictures together when they could. Church had and old camera lying in his bunk that Tucker stole when he died. They’ve been using that to take pictures together since. He did everything Caboose wanted in a best friend. 

“I wonder what Tucker is doing right now.” 

Back in Blood Gulch, Tucker was putting on his armor with Wash in his room. The ship that was bringing him to the desert was supposed to show up in about ten minutes. Tucker was expected to be ready in his armor with his belongings in the middle of the canyon. 

“I- uh- really enjoyed last night.” Wash said while he also put on his armor. He didn’t want to leave Tucker, but they both had things to do. Tucker has to go protect artifacts and Wash has to go talk to the other members of blue team. 

“So did I. If we see each other after this, we can do it again.” Tucker laughed and place his helmet over his head. He grabbed Washington’s arm, dragging him to the field between the two bases. 

“Now I have to go find the rest of your team.” Wash said. 

“Can you get Caboose first? He didn’t want to go to his new base; they wouldn’t give him any other base. I can’t imagine how they’re treating him. He might not trust you, just tell him that I said it’s okay to go with you.” 

“Alright. He’s closer than Church anyway.” 

“Thank you so much.” They stood in silence until Tucker’s ride was in sight. 

“I’ll miss you.” Wash admits quietly. 

“You too, nerd.” Tucker put their visors together before walking towards the ship. 

“Time to go find Caboose, I guess.” He walks in the opposite direction of Tucker, following the small map in the corner of his HUD to locate the base. 

Caboose woke up in his cell again. He isn’t sure why, but everytime he falls asleep, he expects to wake up back in Blood Gulch. Instead, he is met with the cold cement walls surrounding him. Everywhere he looked there was nothing but grey. He desperately wants color to show up anywhere but his belongings. The room was dark and depressing- it wasn’t a place for Caboose. 

His head perked up when he heard muffled arguing from upstairs. It wasn’t often he could hear the people upstairs, but if they were loud enough he could hear pieces if their conversation. He decided to put his armor on. Generally if they were arguing, there was a chance someone would come down here to be away from everyone. Church always told him that if there was someone you couldn’t trust, you had to wear armor around them. 

There was the familiar click of metal lock coming from the door. He stood against the back wall, facing the bars keeping him inside this cage. 

“Caboose. Someone is here to get you.” 

“I don’t believe you.” 

“He’s a freelancer. He needs to talk to you.” 

“I’m not going.” Caboose was well aware of the hazards that came with being with a freelancer. Freelancers attract other freelancers, and then there is a fight. Caboose isn’t sure why though. He has only ever been told it was because they used to be friends and now they’re not. 

The other soldier leaves and a new one comes back. He has grey armor with yellow stripes- he must be the freelancer. Caboose looks at him warily from under his helmet. The freelancer steps toward the cell door, unlocking it, and opening it. He walks cautiously towards Caboose, he treats him like a person would treat a scared puppy. 

“Hi, Caboose. My name’s Agent Washington.” 

“I don’t want to talk to you.” 

“Tucker sent me to talk to you. He said it was okay to trust me.” 

“How do you know Tucker? Did you hurt him?” Caboose raises his voice. 

“No! I swear, I wouldn’t do that to your friend. Tucker is perfectly fine, I saw him leave for the desert and everything.” Wash reaches out to Caboose, but pulls back when Caboose tries to push himself further into the wall. 

“Please, I just want to talk to you. I won’t do anything to hurt you and I definitely didn’t do anything to hurt Tucker. And I have no intentions of ever doing that. I don’t know how I can prove this to you if you don’t come with me.” 

“But you’re a freelancer! And freelancers never help anyone.” 

“I’m a recovery agent, not a freelancer.” It wasn’t technically a lie, but Wash needed Caboose to come with him. 

“I still don’t want to go with you.” 

“I’ll take you to see Church.” 

“Okay. Fine, I’ll pack my things.” 

“You can’t take your stuff with you. There won’t be anywhere to put it. However, you can take your pictures, as long as they stay in your armor.” 

Caboose nods sadly, but tucks his pictures into his armor anyway. He then follows Wash out of the basement, out of the base, and then out of the canyon. 

The walk to outpost 48 where Church was, would take about a week. He would call in a warthog or something to make the trip easier, but he wanted as little contact with the project as possible. Besides, Wash thought it would be interesting to befriend Caboose. Tucker adored him, and Wash wanted to know why. He wanted to know what was so special about the tall soldier. 

By the end of the week, Wash understood. He knew why Caboose was one of Tucker’s favorite people- the blue soldier was now one of Wash’s favorite people too. He was such a positive person. No matter what happened, he would bring out the good rather than the bad. 

It amazes Wash how Caboose knows everything that was going on around him. That isn’t to say Caboose fakes his innocence and knowledge, that’s just how he understands it. He knows what is happening, he views it in his own unique way. Nobody quite understands it, but it works for him and that’s good enough. 

Wash couldn’t help the warm feeling in his chest every time Caboose spoke to him. He developed a soft spot for Caboose similar to the on he has from Tucker. He had a fondness for the two soldiers that he couldn’t explain. He wasn’t sure if he wanted and explanation, he is more comfortable not knowing what it is.

“Are you excited to talk to Church tomorrow?” Wash asks when they sit down for the night. Day was long gone, but neither of them were tired. Today was quiet compared to the rest of the week. They didn’t have any stories worth sharing or anything interesting to talk about. 

“Yeah.” Caboose shrugged. He started to take off his armor, not wanting to sleep in the uncomfortable metal. 

“You don’t sound excited. Is everything okay?” 

“Church isn’t going to like you because you used to be a freelancer. And he won’t let me talk to you.” 

“A lot of people don’t like me, but that shouldn’t change if you like me or not. Remember, he doesn’t control you.” Caboose lied down next to Wash who was sitting against a tree. He moved a few times, sighed, and sat up next to Wash. 

“I can’t sleep; it’s too uncomfortable.” 

“There isn’t much you can do about that, but we need to sleep.” Wash takes his helmet off, placing it next to him on the ground. Caboose looks down at Wash smiling. 

“I like your freckles.” 

“You’ve said that every time I took off my helmet.” Wash’s face turns red and he smiles for a quick second. 

“Because I still like your freckles each time you take it off.” 

“Thanks Caboose.” 

“I like a lot of things about you.” Caboose continues his thought. “I like your eyes, I like your hair, I like the stories you tell, I like you like I like Tucker, and I’m sure if I ever hear you laugh I would like that too.” 

“I like a lot of things about you too. And I’m glad I’m your best friend, you’re mine too.” 

“I want to be more than your best friend.” 

“H-How so?” Wash stutters.

“I want us to be like Church and Tex.” 

“Okay, Caboose, we can be like Church and Tex.” Wash smiled at Caboose who was still looking down at him. Caboose leaned down and kissed Wash’s nose, which caused Wash to laugh softly. 

“I like your laugh.” Caboose giggles. 

“I like yours too, now go to sleep.”


	39. Caboose/Tucker/Wash-"Don't cry."

The next morning they found Church and immediately went to go hunt down South. They all decided it was best to put Delta in Caboose. That was a decision Wash was so glad he made. When he was shot down by the Meta, the only thing that was keeping him alive was Delta. Then the reds showed up and made things worse. They thought they were helping, but they were just getting in the way of everything Wash had planned out. 

“Caboose? Are you okay?” Wash knelt down beside him, Church and the reds stood behind him. Church tried to push past him, but Wash held his place. They had only been dating for about two weeks and nobody knew. They were content with no one knowing, they didn’t think it would change anything. 

“Caboose will be okay, the bullet never hit him. His body is in shock, he will make a full recovery.” Delta appeared over Caboose’s chest. 

“When?” 

“He will wake up in a few minutes.” 

True to Delta’s word, Caboose sat up about four minutes later. He looked around to see the reds conversing by the wall, Church was sitting near them listening in, and Wash was right next to him, sitting against the wall. 

“Are you okay?” Wash took off both of their helmets, placing them next to each other on the ground. 

“Yeah.” Caboose nodded. “I’m just tired.” 

“Me too.” Wash ran his fingers through Caboose’s hair to move it out of his face. “Come on, we can go find somewhere to sleep for the night.” 

Wash put his helmet back on and told everyone they were going to find somewhere to stay that night. He helped Caboose up, letting the larger soldier lean against him to steady himself. They ended up staying at that base, but moving further inside in case someone were to walk by and see them. There were only three rooms, so everyone had to share. 

Grif and Simmons said they were sharing before they even found the rooms and Caboose said he wanted to room with Washington. Church wasn’t happy about the room arrangements. He was stuck with Sarge, who insisted his shotgun be pointed at the blue all night. But that wasn’t why he disliked the arrangement. He wanted to share with Caboose. He wanted the attention Caboose would give him when they were together, he was extremely jealous of all the attention directed at Wash instead of him. 

It was another month before they got to the freelancer storage facility. They were outside situating themselves in the tank and warthog. Wash took the time the reds were using to arguing to talk to Caboose. He knew there was a very small chance he would leave with him after this. He knew what it would mean to steal from the Director, he had witnessed it many times. Even before Allison died, the Director had drastic punishments. 

“Hey Caboose? Come here, we need to talk.” Wash waved Caboose over to where he was standing. They would be far enough away so no one would be able to hear them, but close enough for Wash to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing. 

“That doesn’t sound good.” Wash took off his helmet, Caboose did the same right after. 

“This is a dangerous mission.” He starts his speech. He had been thinking about what he was going to say for about two days now, but nothing he planned is coming to mind. 

“Oh, I know. I’ve done dangerous things before.” 

“At the end, you have to drive off with Epsilon. I can’t go with you, I have to stay here and deal with the Meta and the Director.” 

“I hate those guys.” Caboose’s face scrunches up. 

“I know, I do too. But after this, they shouldn’t be a problem anymore. What I’m trying to say is: after this we aren’t going to see each other for a long time.” 

“You can’t go, I’ll miss you.” 

“I’ll miss you too Mikey, but I have to do this. Okay?” Wash had gotten into the habit of calling Caboose by his first name, or variations of it, when it was just the two of them. It made the war around them seem less important. 

“Okay.” A few tears slip out of Caboose’s eyes. They don’t make it far as Wash wipes them away quickly. He kisses Caboose softly, forgetting about the reds and Church that are only a few yards away. Caboose hugs Wash tightly before standing up straight and putting his helmet back on. He walks over to where everyone else is, seating himself in the driver's seat of the tank. 

Wash ignores the stares the other soldiers are giving him as he puts his helmet back on. He knew that would be a hard conversation, but he didn’t anticipate Caboose’s reaction. He thought there would be a moment of silence before Caboose said something about them seeing each other later. Wash shook his head, shaking his thoughts from his head. He needed to focus on the mission, if he could do this successfully, Project Freelancer should be nothing more than a memory. 

“He hates goodbyes.” Church muttered once they were past the guards. 

“What?” 

“That’s why he didn’t say goodbye or anything. He hates goodbyes. He is just like Allison and Carolina. He knows that if you say goodbye you aren’t going to see them again, so he avoids it.” 

“Oh. You saw all of that, huh? I’m sorry. I was trying to keep it out of your guys’ way.” 

“Everyone could hear you two talking at night, we’ve known for about a week now.” 

“Sorry.” Wash mumbled. He stopped the car. Once he got out, everyone else got out of their vehicle. They all stood staring at Wash, with the exception of Caboose who was looking at the ground, waiting for instruction. 

“Alright, I’m going to go with Church. You four can make sure nobody comes this way.” 

Telling Church he was the Alpha and how he could take down the Meta, went down as bad as Wash expected. He argued, then gave in to save his friends. The epsilon unit was passed on to the others and Wash and Church went off to find the Director. 

 

When Alpha put himself in Wash’s armor, he wasn’t expecting to get every bit of information in the helmet. He saw pictures of the freelancers and Caboose. But the picture that shocked him the most was one of the Director, Wash, Carolina, and Allison standing outside a small house. They were all smiling and they all looked happy. Before he could look further into the subject, alarms started going off. Wash ran into the room they needed to be in before the doors locked. 

“Hello David.” The Director’s sad, tired voice comes through the speakers. 

“I prefer Washington now. And I brought someone who would like to see you.” Alpha appeared next to Wash’s shoulder. “He knows what you did as well I as I do, and neither of us are too happy about it.” Wash stops the conversation with the Director to work on turning on the EMP. He knew the Meta would have been following him and would be here shortly. Once he turned on the EMP, the Meta would be nothing more than Agent Maine’s body in a suit of armor. 

“Have you found a nice boy to settle down with yet, David?” Wash gritted his teeth. The Director was trying to distract him. 

“That is none of your business.” 

“Oh, so you do? Is he here with you? Perhaps he is the maroon soldier, or is it the blue? Should I send the guards after him? Or even better: the Meta.” The Director threatened him. “Oh, here he is now.” 

The Meta ran up to the glass separating them. It only banged harder on the glass when it saw Alpha standing on Wash’s shoulder. The glass didn’t hold up much longer; it cracked, then it shattered onto the floor around them. Alpha gave himself up to the Meta as Wash turned on the EMP, shutting off all electricity in and around the facility. 

Three guards ran into the room. They ignore the Meta lying on the floor to cuff Wash. They knocked him out and carried him through the base. He woke up in a cell. There was no one else in the cell, but there were cells lining both sides of the hallway. 

“You were put under arrest by Charon Industries for knowing vital information about Project Freelancer, stealing from the UNSC, and for damaging UNSC property.” The soldier standing outside his cell listed off before walking away. He was left sitting in his cell, wondering if he would ever get out. 

Caboose sat in their new bases. He was the only person on blue team left to claim the base at Valhalla, but he didn’t mind. It gave him the freedom to tell Epsilon anything he wanted. He mostly told stories about Wash and Tucker. Not all of them were his stories, a lot of them were stories he heard from the other two. He told Epsilon about the time the freelancers smuggled a trampoline onto the MOI, set it up, and managed to keep it for three months without anyone finding out. He also told Epsilon stories about the time Tucker’s little sister broke her wrist when their parents weren’t home and Tucker carried her to their aunt’s house that was ten minutes away. 

It continued like that until Donut showed up at blue base. He walked in like he belonged and sat down next to Caboose. He let Caboose finish his story. 

“Hey, Tucker wanted me to tell you he needs your help.” Donut gave Caboose the coordinates to where Tucker was. Caboose then walked to red base with Donut. If he was going to the desert, he wanted someone to keep the base clean while he was gone. About an hour later, it was decided. Grif and Sarge would leave with Caboose tomorrow morning. 

Caboose sauntered back to his base. His mind was on Tucker and Wash. He was excited to see Tucker, but he wanted Wash to be there. He could call Wash, but there it isn't guaranteed he would answer. He has tried before, the people there always told him Wash was busy. 

When he back to his base, he decided to just call Wash. The worst that would happen was he wouldn’t be able to talk to Wash. Fortunately, the person who answered the phone said he could talk to him. 

“Washington! Someone’s on the phone for you.” He heard from the other side of the phone. 

“Hello?” Wash answered the phone timidly. 

“Wash!” Caboose yelled, causing Wash to pull the phone away from his ear. 

“Caboose? You made it out okay? Nobody hurt you?” 

“No, why would they?” Wash’s mind thinks back to the Director’s threats. 

“No reason, I was just worried.” 

“I’m at my new base with Epsilon. It’s just me here, you should come visit sometime.” 

“I wish I could Caboose.” 

“I’m going to see Tucker tomorrow. He wanted us to go help him in the desert.” 

“That’ll be fun.” Wash thought of Tucker almost as much as he thought about Caboose. He admitted he liked Tucker to himself around the same time he admitted he loved Caboose. He knew there wasn’t a problem with liking two people at once, he just didn’t know how Caboose would react to it. 

“I miss you, David.” Caboose’s voice became serious. 

“I miss you too, Mikey. I’ll find a way to see you again, I promise. I have to go talk to some people now, but I’ll talk to you as soon as I can, okay?” 

“Okay.” 

“I love you Michael.” That was the first time he ever told Caboose he loved him. He panicked when he was met with silence. 

“I love you too.” Caboose hung up before Wash could say anything else. He felt a weight get lifted off his chest as Caboose said it back. He wanted to stay on the phone, but the sooner he talked to Hargrove, the sooner he could leave his cell. 

It took almost all night to get Hargrove to let him work with the Meta Hargrove created and retrieve the Epsilon Unit from the reds and blues. Wash wasn’t excited to work against Caboose and his friends, but when this was all over, he would be able to stay with Caboose. Instead of going back to bed, Wash was sent out to find the Meta and start his mission. 

Caboose left Valhalla with half of the reds the next morning. Grif and Sarge took turns driving until they were in the desert. It only took about twelve hours to get there, but it felt like and eternity. The ride was silent and there was nothing interesting to see on the way. Grif was upset because he had to leave Simmons at Valhalla, Sarge was angry because he only had the laziest member of his team and a blue, but Caboose was happy. He didn’t have a reason not to be. 

“Guys! Over here!” Tucker waved his arms to get their attention. Grif parked the warthog inside the temple, as soon as he did, Tucker closed the doors. 

“Tucker!” Caboose jumped off the back of the warthog and ran towards Tucker. Tucker ducked away before Caboose hit him. He walked over to where Caboose stood, staring at Tucker with his head tilted to the side in confusion.

“Caboose!” He walked over to him and hugged him. They were both glad to have their best friend back, even if one of them wanted to be something more. 

It wasn’t like Tucker kept it a secret. He like Caboose, he just didn’t tell anyone because they didn’t ask. His reasons for liking Caboose were the same as Wash’s: he was a loveable idiot that saw the good in everything. He, of course, didn’t know about Wash and Caboose’s relationship, the last memory he had of Washington was him walking away as he got on the ship. 

“So this is where you guys can sleep, there isn’t much else to do today. Tomorrow, I’ll explain what’s going on better.” 

It was about ten o’clock at night and most of them were dying to get some sleep. Sarge and Caboose fell asleep almost as soon as they lied down, leaving Grif and Tucker awake to talk. They were friends back in Blood Gulch. Tucker would tell Grif the things he couldn’t tell Caboose, and Grif would tell Tucker the things he didn’t feel comfortable talking about with Simmons. 

“What are you not telling us?” Grif pulls Tucker into another room of the Temple. 

“Nothing, why?” Tucker laughed nervously. 

“I know you’re hiding something, so tell me what it is.” 

“I’m pregnant?” He sounded like he didn’t believe himself. It’s been four months and he still doesn’t want to accept it. 

“Seriously? Who’s the dad?” 

“It’s Agent Washington.” 

“Really? Are you going to tell Caboose?” Grif didn’t let it slip that Wash and Caboose were dating, it wasn’t his place to tell. 

“Tell me what?” Caboose walks in, rubbing his eyes. 

“I’m gonna go. Good luck man.” Grif walks back to the other room. When he lies down he turns on the private radio for him and Simmons. He tells Simmons everything before he hangs up and goes to bed. 

“Tell me what?” Caboose repeats himself. 

“Sit down, I have a lot to explain.” Caboose sits down next to Tucker, waiting for him to talk. 

Tucker takes a deep breath before starting. He tells Caboose everything. He tells Caboose he is transgender and what that means, about the nice man he met before he left, about how he is pregnant, how he has feelings for that man because of it, and how he feels about Caboose. The only thing he didn’t mention was who the nice man was. For all Caboose knew, it was some random guy. 

“We can be boyfriends if it would make you happy.” Caboose spoke quietly. 

“That isn’t something you do to make one person happy. You have to like me too.” 

“But I do like you! If we are boyfriends, we can be super best friends!” 

“Okay Caboose, we can be super best friends.” 

The next morning Washington and the Meta walked up to the bases at Valhalla. He heard arguing coming from the red base and nothing from the blue, so he walked towards red base first. He managed to walk up and listen to the conversation before Simmons and Lopez noticed him. 

“Wash? Is that you?” 

“Where is the Epsilon Unit?” He demanded, the Meta walked up behind him. Simmons was too mad to be scared. 

“More like where have you been. Have you even talked to Tucker or Caboose since you left.” 

‘Who are they?’ The Meta growled. 

“Nobody. And yes I have talked to Caboose.” 

“But not Tucker? Did you know he’s pregnant with your kid? Did you know he has been a mess without you or Caboose? No? I didn’t think so.” 

“He’s what?” Wash’s attitude dropped instantly.

“Pregnant, with your kid.” Simmons repeats. 

‘You knocked up a guy?’ The Meta commented. 

“Not now Meta. Where is he?” 

“I don’t know. They’ve been moving around for months. Last I knew they left the desert two days ago.” 

For the next four months, Wash followed the tracks the group of four left. He was no longer trying to find the Epsilon Unit, he was trying to get back to Tucker and Caboose and his unborn child. He followed them up until they made it to sidewinder. 

The reds and blues showed up after Tex was trapped in Epsilon Unit. He switched sides in the fight as soon as Tucker and Caboose stepped off the ship. Wash ran over and stood in front of both of them as the Meta stood up from the snow bank. 

“Wash! I’m so excited to see you! Tucker, this is my other boyfriend Washington. Wash, this is my other boyfriend Tucker.” 

“What?” They both turned to Caboose. 

“We can talk about this later, but the Meta is coming back over here.” Tucker yelled. Wash turned back around, and a bullet lodged in his chest plate. He knew it would still leave a nasty bruise, but he was more focused on protecting Tucker and Wash at the moment. 

The battle ended with little damage to himself and none to the two behind him. Wash watched the Meta fall off the cliff and then looked away, not thinking anymore of it. He moved the Epsilon unit into the base and tried everything he could to get Church out of it. He had to get in contact with his sister, Carolina, in order to get him out. 

“We need to talk.” Wash said when he got off the radio with Carolina. She would be here in about a week, which gave everyone time to relax a little. Wash lead Tucker and Caboose into one of the bedrooms inside the base, away from the reds. 

“Listen Wash, I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was already dating you, he never told me that.” 

“I’m not worried about that. I love Caboose and I have strong feelings for you as well, so it isn’t a problem to me if we were all dating.” 

“Oh, okay. I’d like that.” Tucker looked down at the ground while he agreed to date Washington as well as Caboose. Caboose was smiling silently under his helmet, listening to the conversation between the two of them. 

“But we need to talk about the baby.” 

“I’m keeping it, if that’s what you’re implying.” 

“That wasn’t what I was trying to say. I was going to suggest the same. But my sister wants help hunting down the Director in exchange for her helping us get Church out of the Epsilon Unit.” He explained. “There is now way we can raise a baby and do that at the same time.” 

“Then the others are going to have to leave without us.” Tucker shrugged. 

“Okay.” Wash said softly. It wasn’t his place to say they can’t take care of their kid because of his family issues. He would rather stay with Tucker and Caboose instead. 

“What are you naming it?” Caboose entered the conversation. 

“After me if it’s a boy and I haven’t decided for a girl.” 

“I like the name Casey.” Caboose said. “It reminds me of my sister.” 

“I like the name Casey.” Wash agrees. 

“Okay, so Casey will be for a girl.” 

Lavernius Tucker Jr. was born ten minutes before Church was pulled from the Epsilon Unit. Doc and Donut were helping Tucker and Wash while Caboose stayed with Carolina. Caboose didn’t like seeing Tucker in pain, so he thought it would be best to wait for someone to come get him. 

“You can go in now if you want, Caboose.” Doc said when he walked out of the room Tucker was in. Caboose nodded and walked into the room silently, he closed the door softly. Tucker was lying on the bed staring tiredly at Wash. Wash was holding a baby that looked almost identical to Tucker in a towel. The only differences between Tucker and the baby was the baby’s freckles and his skin was slightly lighter. Caboose watched as Wash walked around slowly, looking down at the baby with tears in his eyes. 

“Don’t cry.” Caboose whispered. 

“I’m sorry Caboose.” He laughed softly, wiping the tears from his eyes. “I’m just really happy.” 

“Do you want to hold him?” Wash asked after a few more minutes with the baby. Caboose was now sitting at the end of Tucker’s bed, watching Tucker sleep. Caboose nodded at Wash, holding out his arms. 

“Do you want to go Daddy, Junior?” Wash coos to the baby as he walks over to Caboose. “He’s really excited to meet you.” Wash sets the baby in Caboose’s arms, he makes sure Caboose won’t drop him before letting go. 

“I’m his dad?” Caboose looked up at Wash. 

“Yeah.” Wash nodded. “But you have to be Daddy. I’m Dad and Tucker is Papa.” 

“Hi, Junior.” He spoke to the sleeping baby like Wash. “I’m guessing you’re a boy because your name isn’t Casey, but that’s alright. It’s more fun to be a boy anyway. It’s probably best you aren’t a girl, there are more boys than girls anyway. There is Church, Sarge, Grif, Simmons, and you already met Doc and Donut, but there is Carolina. She’s mean, but I’m sure she’ll lighten up.” 

“I love you guys.” Wash kissed Tucker, Caboose, and Junior’s forehead. He was crying again, but Caboose didn’t point it out this time. He sat next to Tucker, listening to Caboose ramble on and waiting for Tucker to wake up.


	40. None-"I made this for you."

“Aunty South!” Theta came crashing through her front door. She told North she would babysit while he was out buying a birthday gift for Theta. He was turning eight, and North wanted to get him a new bicycle. Theta loved being outdoors, so North thought it would be the perfect idea. 

“Hey kiddo. How was school?” She ruffled his hair up. 

“It was good. I made you something!” He drops his bag to the floor, rooting through it to find the craft he made during art class that day. When he found it, he pushed it towards her proudly. He worked on it for almost an hour and he took pride in his work. 

“I love it! Here, we can go hang it on the fridge.” She walked into the kitchen to hang it on the fridge. The collage of pink, blue, and purple hand prints framed in ribbon contrasted greatly with the dull kitchen. South normally ordered take out, and he kitchen was almost never in use. 

“I have to go.” North called from the front door. Theta ran back to him to tell him goodbye. South stood in the doorway between the living room and kitchen, waving goodbye to her younger brother. 

“Have fun.” North shut the door behind him. 

“If you do your homework, we can watch a movie.” South said. She knew North’s rule about homework, so she had to work around that to be the “fun aunt.” She sat down with Theta at the table to help him with the subjects he struggled with. Once they finished, they sat down on the couch and watched whichever movie Theta picked out.


	41. None-"Go back to sleep."

As soon as Tucker lied down in his bed, there was a knock on his door. He was tempted to ignore it; if there wasn’t an attack, he wasn’t concerned about it. He shut his eyes, hoping the person on the other side of the door would go away, but the knocking persisted. He sat up in bed, waiting for another round of knocking to begin. He wants the person to go away, but it is clear they won’t be leaving any time soon because the knocking begins again. 

Tucker stands up and tries to avoid the cold floor as much as possible on his trek to the door. Despite the cold room around him, he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants that were bunched up around his ankles. He would put on a shirt to greet the person behind the door, but if they want to bother him at night, they would have to deal with a shirtless Tucker. 

“What?” Tucker pulls the door open harshly. Behind the door, Palomo dropped his hand that was about to start banging on the door. 

Tucker knew Palomo was young, but without his armor, the lieutenant looked like a child. His baby fat has yet to go away, he has deep dimples, curly hair that hung in his face, and big brown eyes. It was also off-putting to see he was shorter than Tucker. In armor, the only people who were a different height than everyone else were the people who were extremely tall. Palomo stared up at Tucker through his hair with tearful eyes. 

“What do you want?” Tucker sighed. He found it harder to be angry at the young soldier. 

“Can- Can I talk to you?” Palomo bit his lip nervously. He knew it was risky to wake his captain, but he didn’t know who else he could talk to. The other lieutenants were all in the training room, preparing for whatever is to come next in the war. 

“Yeah.” Tucker sighed- it looked like he wasn’t going to sleep any time soon. “What do you need to talk about?” 

Tucker walked to his closet to grab a shirt. If Palomo was going to stay, he thought it would be better to look a little more professional. As the CO, he had to be appropriate most of the time. After putting on a shirt, he walked back to his bed and sat against the pillows. Palomo was standing in front of the closed door silently. 

“Did you want to talk?” 

“Oh- uh- yeah.” 

“Okay, then talk.” 

“I just wanted to know how you and the other captains are always- like- not breaking down every time you are alone?” 

“Seriously? You think we don’t.” Tucker laughed. “If you listen closely, you can hear Simmons crying right now.” 

“I’m being serious. How do you guys manage in the UNSC?” 

“It’s because we’re adults. You and your friends are only kids, nobody is expecting you to be okay all the time. How old are you? Like eighteen?” 

“I turned sixteen two months ago.” 

“You’re kidding right?” Palomo shakes his head ‘no’. “That’s ridiculous.” 

“Can you please just finish what you were saying?” 

“Right, anyway. You guys just aren’t used to fighting in a war. I’ve been in the UNSC since I was about 23, so I’ve dealt with war for almost a third of my life. I’ve been injured a million times, my best friend has died three times, I was impregnated by an alien, and I helped take down a corrupt military project. You’re sixteen and have been fighting a war that has become your problem because there wasn’t enough soldiers. It’s okay if you aren’t always the best soldier or the strongest person, you just need to do what you can until the war is over. And when the war is over, you’ll get to leave the army, and you won’t have to go back unless you choose to. You aren’t a bad soldier Palomo, you’re a kid trying your best. Now, go back to sleep, so I can go to sleep.” 

“Thank you Tucker.” 

“You’re welcome. By the way, this doesn’t mean you can send all your friends to me for advice.” 

“Yes, sir.” Palomo walked out of Tucker’s room feeling better about the war. And Tucker was feeling better because he could finally go to sleep.


	42. Locus/Felix-"Is this okay?"

They have been together since they met. Their CO during basic tried to send them to different bases, he thought the relationship between the two was odd. But Felix found a way to keep them together, he always did. He would read all the rule books at each base, trying to figure out all the different ways he could keep them together after they were relocated. The third base they were sent to, Felix had to get fake marriage documents because if they were married, that base wouldn’t separate them. 

They met on the first day in basic. Felix sat on a crate in the back of the room, he was overlooking the crowd of soldiers. They were all waiting for the CO to come in, introduce himself, and then start giving orders. Locus walked in and then froze as everyone turned to look at him. He still didn’t move from the doorway when everyone stopped looking at him. Out of curiousity, Felix hopped down from the crate and walked over to larger man. 

Felix put his hand on Locus’ shoulder, gently guiding him away from the door. Felix recognized Locus’ reaction- he went to school with an autistic person, and Felix knew to be gentle around her. Doing the same for Locus, he placed his hand on Locus’ cheek gently, asking if he was alright. Locus sucked in a sharp breath, but calmed down in seconds and nodded at Felix. A few soldiers that recognized Felix from the past two days in the bunks, gave him weird looks. They didn’t know it was even possible for Felix to be nice to someone. 

Since then, they’ve been inseparable. They shared a room, they shared missions, and they were never seen without the other one near by. Any moment where Locus was uncomfortable or scared, Felix was right there to calm him down. With Felix around, living with ASD became more was more bearable. There were still moments that Locus couldn’t handle, but Felix would set everything aside to help.

Locus was content with his new schedule. He would wake up with Felix cuddled into his chest, he would lie awake in that position until Felix woke up and offered to help make breakfast. Then Locus would cooks something while Felix checked their various work phones to see if there were any jobs worth their time. After they ate, they would each do their own thing for the remainder of the day. Then they would go to bed at about ten o’clock and then repeat. 

Then they were called by Control. They received their mission in detail, but Locus could only focus on one part: “You will be in separate armies.” 

The phrase kept repeating in his head, muffling everything else around him. He felt like he was being held under water. His lungs wouldn’t cooperate with him and he could see Felix talking, but he couldn’t hear anything being said. His eyes stung with unshed tears while he thought about what would happen. For the first time in almost eight years, they would be separated. Locus was used to having Felix around, it meant he wouldn’t ever be alone. But now he would have to face all of his fears on his own. 

“Hey? Locus, are you okay? Locus?” He is brought back to reality by Felix guiding him to sit down on the couch. 

“Felix?” He looks up at Felix looking for reassurance. He wants to hear that Felix told Control they weren’t interested, he wants to stay in their small home, and he especially wants Felix to be with him. 

“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” He pushes a strand of Locus’ air behind his ear. “Is this okay? We don’t have to do this job if you aren’t comfortable with it.” 

Locus wants to scream about how uncomfortable he is with this job, tell Felix how they should wait for another job to come along. But he could see how excited Felix was while speaking on the phone with Control. Locus didn’t want to take away Felix’s happiness, he would just force himself to take the job and sit tight until it’s over. He just nods slowly. 

Felix sits down next to Locus on the couch, kissing his cheek once he is comfortable. Locus tries not to think about how this will be one of the last times they will sit like this. They had to wait it out until the end of a civil war to be together again. At least they would still have the next few weeks together.


	43. Locus/Felix-"I picked these for you"

Felix groaned as he rolled out of bed to answer the door. He knew and hour ago he would have to get out of bed, but he didn’t think an hour would go by that quickly. Locus’ sister, Julia, stood at the door to drop his niece off. It was almost six in the morning and was explaining how her normal babysitter was sick and couldn’t watch Abby for the day. She was wary of Felix at first, he did not give the impression he was good with kids. Julia had heard about her brother’s fiance, but this was her first time meeting him. Felix looked much different than she had envisioned in her head. His dyed hair, piercings, and tattoos was nothing she ever thought her brother would be attracted to. But she wasn’t here to judge Felix, she was here to drop off her daughter and go to work. 

“I’m sorry, but is William here?” She kept her hands on Abby’s soldiers, waiting to see someone she knew to let go. 

“You mean Locus? Yeah, he is sleeping. Not sure if you knew this, but he is and extremely heavy sleeper.” Felix crossed his arms in front of his chest, pressing Locus’ shirt closer to his body, showing how small he actually is. 

“Can you wake him up? I told him I was dropping off Abby almost an hour ago.” 

“Yeah, I know. I was the one who responded to your text. I can take care of Abby until Locus wakes up.” Felix covers his mouth as he yawns. He wasn’t used to be awake so early, but there was no way Locus would wake up to open the door. 

“Are you sure you can’t just wake up William?” 

“I’ve already tried to wake Locus up.” Felix stresses his name. Locus was the nickname his friends gave him in high school’ it’s been six years since then, but the name stuck. After ten years of knowing him as Locus, it was weird to hear him being referred to as William. 

“Okay, whatever.” Julia rolls her eyes. “I’m going to be late for work. Just please try to keep Abby alive.” She kisses the top of Abby’s head and pushes her gently into the house. Felix closes the door behind her and looks down at Abby. 

“Who are you?” Abby places her hands on her hips. 

“I’m Felix. I’m a really good friends with your Uncle.” 

“What is for breakfast?” 

“It is whatever Locus makes when he wakes up in four hours.” Felix sits down on the couch. He turns on the television and wraps himself in the throw blanket that Locus bought him for Valentine’s Day this past year. 

“Why can’t you wake him up now?” 

“Because that won’t work. Why don’t you go try to wake him up?” Felix pays no attention to Abby as she runs through the house, opening every door to find which one is the bedroom. 

Twenty minutes later Abby walked back into the living room with Locus a few steps behind her. She had a smug grin on her face while Felix stared at Locus. It was the rare to see Locus awake before ten. Both of them didn’t have work until noon, so they never had to wake up early. 

“Felix. Why is Abby here?” Locus sat down next to Felix. Locus leaned onto him, cuddling into the softness of the blanket. 

“Your name is Felix? Like the cat?” Abby laughed loudly. Felix’s patience with her was slowly withering away. 

“Your sister dropped off this tiny devil off. Her babysitter couldn’t watch her today and I said we would. At the time, I didn’t think her child would be this annoying.” 

“Hm, okay.” Locus keeps his eyes closed, trying not to fall asleep against Felix’s shoulder. “So what are we going to do today?” 

“I don’t know. Both of us have the day off, but there isn’t anything we have that will entertain her.” 

“Do you have a tree?” Abby asks, but doesn’t wait for an answer before running out to the backyard. Felix groans, but dragged himself and Locus outside. He was becoming more annoyed with Abby every second, but he wasn’t going to let her get hurt with whatever her plan with a tree was. When they got there, she was already half way up the tall oak tree. 

They sat down on the ground, leaning against the house. Locus was more awake now that he was outside. Felix was picking the dandelion weeds that were growing from the ground. He braided them together creating a chain of the yellow flowers. 

“Uncle William?” She called from the top of the tree. 

“What?” 

“I can’t get down.” 

“I’m not the person to talk to; I don’t know how to climb trees.” He yells back. 

“I don’t want Felix to help me!” 

“Then you’re gonna have to stay in the tree.” Locus takes the flower chain out of Felix’s hands. “Go get her down from the tree.”

“When i get up there she is going to push me off the tree and I’ll die!” 

“No she won’t. Go help her.” 

“I hate you.” Felix stands up and walks over to the tree. He climbs up it with ease, he used to hide Locus’ things at the top of tree when they were angry with each other. He reaches the branch she is on in a minute. She climbs onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He climbs back down the tree and bends down to get her off his back. 

“Try not to do that again.” Felix returns to his seat and continues his chain. Locus stood up, claiming he was going to go cook. 

“Uh, Felix?” Abby stands in front of him with her hands behind her back. 

“What?” 

“I picked these for you. For your flower thing. I saw you were running out of flowers over here.” She shoves a small bouquet of dandelions toward him. 

“Oh. Thanks.” He sets the flowers down next to him and continues braiding. She sits down in front of him, watching him weave the flowers together. After he went through a few flowers, she ran off to gather more. She attempted to make her own. 

“No, like this. If you do it that way, it will work, but it will fall apart after a few minutes.” He put down his to correct her. He watched her try to make one, correcting her when necessary. They continued their crafts until Locus told them breakfast was ready.


	44. Doc/Wash"I'll drive you to the hospital."

Wash knew it was a bad idea to go practice tricks on his skateboard at almost midnight. As an art major who took all of their classes in the afternoon and had work in the mornings, he didn’t have much time to do the things he enjoyed. Normally he would be asleep by now and be up in a few hours for his shift at work, but he had one too many coffees while trying to prepare for his day. Instead of listening to the logical part of his mind and going to bed, he was outside his apartment building skateboarding up and down the street occasionally doing small tricks he has learned. 

It took less than thirty minutes for Wash to regret his decision. In an attempt to not hit the squirrel that ran into the middle of the sidewalk, he veered to the right and his a fire hydrant. The skateboard stopped upon hitting the hydrant, but Wash wasn’t so lucky. He put his arms out in front of him to brace himself. Now, not only did he have a bloody nose, he also had the skin on his forearms all scraped up. 

Leaving his skateboard outside the building, he walked inside and up to his apartment. He couldn't think of what to do. He wouldn't be able to take out all of the rocks and clean both arms on his own. His neighbor was a nurse, often referred to as Doc by the people on this floor, but it was late at night and Wash didn’t even know if he was home. 

Regardless, he walked out of his apartment with a paper towel pressed to his face. Painfully, he knocked on the door. 

“Um, hi?” Doc answered the door fully wake. He was wearing scrubs and there were bags under his eyes. Wash assumes he just got home from work or he is about to leave, either way, he should be somewhat helpful. 

“Hey, I was wondering if you could help me? I was skateboarding and I kinda messed up- like a lot.” 

“I’ll drive you to the hospital.” Doc sighed and turned around to grab his keys. 

“No!” Wash shouted. “I’m sorry, but I can’t exactly afford the hospital. It’s just a few scrapes and a bloody nose. Can you just help me clean up a little?” 

“Alright, you can come in. Just don’t sit in the living room, I don’t want blood anywhere.” He left Wash in the kitchen to go get the first aid kit from the bathroom. When he returned he cleaned all of Wash’s cuts, stopped his bloody nose, and bandaged everything he could. 

“Thanks Doc, I really appreciate it.” 

“No problem. But I wouldn’t try doing tricks on your skateboard after midnight.” Doc shut the door after Wash walked away.


	45. Grif/Simmons-"What do you want to watch?"

There are moments in Simmons’ life where he has to stop and think about how he got there. When he was shipped to Blood Gulch, he had to walk away from a battle between the reds and blues to go evaluate his life. He did the same when he and Grif got married. Now he was doing it again as he sat in the pillow fort with his daughter. 

It was Grif’s idea to spend every Saturday watching movies and eating until they couldn’t stand the sight of food, and it was Sarah’s idea to build the fort with blankets to sit in while watching the movies. Simmons is normally reading a book through the cheesy action movie Sarah and GRif agreed on that week. They both hound him for ignoring the movie and not eating enough of the food, but none of them would have it any other way. 

He pretends to read while he thinks of everything. He didn’t want to let Grif know he was thinking through his life. Normally Grif would take it the wrong way and stop everything to comfort Simmons. So he flips through the pages of his book absentmindedly while thinking about Sarah. 

_The war on Chorus ended when they met her. She was only six months old and she had been living in Kimball’s room, but most of the New Republic and Federal Army have helped out with watching her. Matthews was watching her, but he had handed her to Grif when he was called to a training session._

_Grif held her with his armor on while he ran around trying to find Simmons. He was being especially careful not to his her head on the box armor. When he did find Simmons, he was taking a nap in their bed. If Grif wasn’t so preoccupied with the baby, he would have ridiculed Simmons about taking a nap on the job._

_“Wake up.” He shook Simmons’ shoulders._

_“Wh-What? Grif? Why do you have a baby?” He runs a hand through his hair and sits up on bed._

_“Matthews gave her to me.”_

_“Okay? Why are you waking up to tell me this?”_

_“Because this is our opportunity! You said you wanted kids when the war ended. Well, guess what? The war is over and I found a baby with no parents.” Grif exclaimed._

_“We can’t just take this baby.”_

_“Yes we can. Here, hold her You’ll see why we need to keep her.” He puts the baby in Simmons’ arms. He melts as soon as he looks her in the eyes. She is the perfect mix of Simmons and Grif. She had red hair, green eyes, and pale-freckled skin and she had the same smile Grif had when he was up to no good._

_“Okay.” Simmons sighed. “I’ll talk to Kimball.”_

Later that day Sarah Grif was officially their child. There was the initial argument over whose last name she should have. Sarge wanted her to be named Sarah Simmons because she shouldn’t be set up for failure with a name like Grif. Simmons and Grif agreed argued for Grif because it was their last name and it sounded much better. 

_“Why would we give her a last name neither of us have?” Grif stared up at Sarge._

_“We still call Simmons by his old last name, it wouldn’t be that big of a change if we called her Simmons 2.0.”_

_“I’m already Simmons 2.0! And you only call me Simmons because there is already a Grif in the canyon.” Simmons stood next to Grif with his arms crossed._

_“Besides, you we aren’t going to be here much longer. After this we are only going to see each other on the holidays Donut decides everyone needs to get together. You can pretend her last name is whatever you want it to be, but it is going to be Grif.”_

Sarah was now seven and was a spitting image of Simmons with the personality of Grif. She was smart and enjoyed school, but she would show off to her classmates similarly to how Grif would with the lieutenants. Just last week, the teacher called Simmons and asked him to tell Sarah to stop talking about her parents defeating the Meta during history. 

_“Sarah, we need to talk.” Simmons said while they were eating dinner. “Your teacher called today.”_

_“Can this wait until after we eat?”_

_“No fat-ass, this is your fault anyway, so just listen.” Simmons snapped at Grif._

_“Why did my teacher call?”_

_“You have to stop bragging about your Dad and I in class. Interrupting the class to tell everyone we took down Project Freelancer, threw the Meta off a cliff -which almost killed your Dad, might I add-, and ended Chorus’s Civil war isn’t something you need to be talking about in class.” Simmons tried to explain._

_“But my English teacher said we should connect parts of stories to our lives so we understand it better. Besides it’s boring reading the kid-friendly versions of what happened to you guys.”_

_“Just stop talking about us to your friends.” Simmons sighed, realizing he wasn’t going to win this argument._

“What’s the book about? You’ve been on that page forever.” Grif nudged his side. 

“Nothing. What do you want to watch?” 

“We’re already watching something.” Sarah sat down in between the two, shushing them and pointing to the movie. “Be quiet and watch.”


	46. Sharkface/Wash-"You can go first."

“What do you mean Sharkface is already streaming?” Wash looks to his chat for answers. He streams everyday at 2pm, all of his friends knew that. Normally Dante- or youtube gamer Sharkface2551- would avoid streaming at that time.

“I’m gonna swing over to his chat for a second.” He pauses the game he just started on his xbox and turns to his computer. He goes to Dante’s stream where he sees him talking to his viewers about Wash’s stream. 

“I didn’t know you were already streaming.” He reads his chat quietly to himself. “Oh! Wash, welcome to my stream! Here, I’ll call you so I don’t have to strain my eyes looking for you in the chat.” 

“Hello?” Wash says through the speakerphone. 

“Wash, how have you been?” 

“Good, good. Until I went go stream and only had 50 viewers. What about you?” 

“Same up until I lost fifty viewers on my stream.” They both laugh. 

“So how about I make it up to you? There has been this new game I wanted to shoot a video for, but it’s multiplayer. You can come over, we’ll order a pizza, and play the game. We can live stream it and then post it on my channel as a video. How does that sound?” 

“Yeah, but you also have to agree to stop streaming now. You’re ruining my business.” 

“Okay, fine.” He turns to his webcam. “Sorry guys, but I have to go. Go check out Wash’s stream, I’m sure he is doing something cool.” He ended the phone call and his stream. 

Nearly two weeks later, Wash was sitting on Dante’s couch waiting for him to get off the phone with the pizza delivery guy. He has been to his friends house before, they only live a few hours away from each other, so it wasn’t uncommon for one of them to spend the weekend at the other’s house. Considering they share the majority of their fans, they also filmed videos a lot. 

“Pizza will be here in thirty minutes. We can start the stream whenever you’re ready.” 

“Now’s fine.” They walk upstairs to the spare bedroom Dante uses for filming and turns all of his equipment on. The game started and Wash was instantly filled with fear from the introduction. 

“You didn’t tell me it was a horror game!” Wash shrieks. 

“You never asked.” Dante shrugged and continued on with setting up the game while Wash talked with the chat. “Okay everything’s done.” 

“You can go first.” Dante rolled his eyes, but moved his character in front of Wash’s anyway. 

They got through twenty minutes of the game. They were currently being chased through the house and the villain was right behind Wash. In the end Dante was killed instead because he stopped to look at Wash’s screen. 

_Ding Dong_

“It’s the killer!” Wash screams, jumping out of his chair and onto Dante’s lap. His arms wrapped around Dante’s neck while he laughed hysterically. 

“It’s just the pizza guy.” He wheezed. He picked Wash up, putting him back in chair and walked to the door, grabbing his wallet on the way.


	47. Church/Donut-"Did you get my letter?"

“Hello?” Donut asked into his phone while he walked into his kitchen.

“Hey, is this Donut?” Donut could hear yelling in the background of the call. It sounded like whoever he was speaking to wasn’t supposed to be speaking to him. 

“Yes. Who’s this?” He hold his phone between ear and shoulder as he pulled different ingredients from his fridge and set them on the counter. 

“I’m Tuck-” The person on the line was interrupted and it sounded like the phone hit the ground. 

“I’m sorry, just ignore him.” 

“Church!” Donut squealed into the microphone. 

Church and Donut met in their first year of high school. They were both in the advanced English and Donut wrote an extra set of notes for Church who was always asleep. They soon became close friends. Donut was a constant in Church’s life. He was there when Tex broke up with Church for older Dakota twin, when Church thought he was gay, when Church came out as gay and admitted he had a crush on Donut. They started dating their third year of highschool and generally stuck to themselves. Church wasn’t keen on having a huge group of friends, but he had a few he had met in middle school. Donut, however, was a social butterfly who gave up his wings to stay with Church’s small group of friends. 

“Hey, did you get my letter? The one with all the pictures in it? I found some pictures of my friends and I so I them to the house.” 

“I haven’t checked the mail yet; I got home from work like an hour ago. I’ll go check now.” Donut walked out of the house with the phone still pressed to his ear. He could hear people yelling in the background still, but it was muffled. He walked to the end of the driveway, waving at the neighbours who were outside washing their car, and opened the mailbox. He put the phone in between his ear and shoulder again when he opened the letter on his way back inside. He looked through the ten pictures Church had sent him with a smile on his face. 

“You and your friends are cute.” Donut laughed at the one of Church carrying a larger soldier in standard blue armor on his back. The soldier on his back had a huge smile and Church looked annoyed, but Donut could tell he was glad to have the company. 

“Yeah, sure we are. You should see us in battle, we are badass.” 

“Stop lying!” The person who answered the phone called out. 

“Shut up Tucker!” Church yelled back. “Okay, I’m gonna have to go soon. We got a new leader, he doesn’t like me too much; I actually think we went to high school with him. Anyway, back to the point, I’m going to be able to video chat tomorrow around two. Is that okay? I didn’t know if you had anything going on, but you used to have Friday’s off from work.” 

“Of course we can video chat! I’d take the day off to talk to you. And who is your new captain?” 

“Washington. Sounds familiar right? But we have to go run drills. I miss you.” 

“I miss you too.” 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too Church, talk to you tomorrow.” Donut heard Tucker yell about Church being a sap before the line cut off. 

Donut put the food back into his fridge, opting to just have a sandwich instead. When he finished his sandwich, he went into the spare bedroom where he kept his scrapbooking supplies. He arranged all of Church’s pictures on two sheets of blue patterned paper and put each page in a different picture frame. He spent two hours trying to find different places to hang them up and rearranging other pictures before he decided to hang it in the living room. 

There was already a large collection of papers hanging on the wall behind their couch. Most of them were of family, a few were of Church and Donut alone, and there were two- now four- of one of them with other friends. Donut’s favorite picture on the wall is the picture taken on the night of their last homecoming dance. Donut’s friend Doc took the picture because he was dabbling in photography at the time. It wasn’t taken at the scene set up for photos, instead it was taken in the art hallway. Church always like the hallway because it had murals covering almost every inch of the walls. The colors made it stand out from the other hallways- there was a happier atmosphere around it. In the picture, they stood in front of the wall covered in an abstract design that switched between red and blue. 

After making the final touches to the wall, Donut went to bed. 

He wasn’t sure why he was so worried about everything looking nice. Church has seen Donut at his absolute worst, there was no way Church would mind if the roots of his hair weren’t blond or if he wasn’t wearing the nicest outfit in his closet. Donut blames it on not seeing Church in so long. Sure they’ve talked, having at least two phone calls a month, but talking on the phone wasn’t the same as seeing Church. 

He stopped trying to fix his hair when he heard the video chat ringing on his computer. He hurried over to his bed and set the laptop in front of him before opening the video. 

“Caboose, get away from the computer. It’s Church’s turn now.” A tired voice said from behind the camera. 

“But he’s really pretty!” Caboose to pointed to the screen. 

“Uh- thank you? Is Church there?” 

“I’m right here.” Church walks behind the couch Caboose is sitting on. “ We have to get Caboose to move. He is stalling because he has to go get his hair cut. Caboose, will you please go? I want to talk to Donut before my time is up. Tucker still has to talk to Junior at three.” 

“Okay fine.” Caboose stood up and walked off screen allowing Church to sit on the couch in front of the camera. The first thing Donut noticed was the new scar running down the side of Church’s neck. 

“Hey Frankie.” 

“We’re using first names all of a sudden?” Donut laughed. “Hello Leonard.” 

“Yeah, we only use last names here. I thought I’d mix it up a little.” He grinned at Donut. “So how have you been?” 

“Good, I got a raise at work. Although it’s only because more children are being enrolled into the daycare. I was also thinking of getting a teaching license, but I haven’t decided yet. What about you? How is the new captain?” 

“I’ve been good. The reds decided to actually fight last week and I almost got shot in the shoulder.” Donut sucked in a sharp breath, he never like hearing about Church’s injuries. “And Washington is good. I swear I know him from somewhere, like before he showed up here. He may have been friends with Tex in high school. Speaking of which, apparently all of her friends and her went into the military. She showed up the other day.” 

“I never liked Tex.” 

“You’re just saying that because she broke up with me and I was after that. She really isn’t that bad. While, she is more hostile now, but still.” There was a few seconds of silence where they just stared at each other, taking in all of the features they have missed since the last time the saw each other. 

“Church! Get off the computer, we need to go! Now!” Washington yelled, the tone in his face causing Church’s eyes to widen and for him panic slightly. 

“I need to go, I’m sorry.” Church ended the call quickly, leaving Donut to wait and think about what could have happened. 

It was two anxious weeks before Donut heard from Church again. He was at work when the secretary told him he had a phone call. He answered it to find it had been Church. 

“Donut?” His voice was strained. 

“Church? What happened two weeks ago? Are you okay?” 

“The reds attacked, except this time it was them with the freelancer not us. Well we have Washington, but they had a freelancer that wasn’t considered AWOL. They-” 

“Donut? Hey, it’s Tucker. Church is like slowly killing himself trying to explain so I’m just going to tell you what happened.” Tucker took over the call. 

“Will someone just explain?” 

“A special agent showed up looking for Wash and attacked us with the reds. Church was shot towards the bottom of his lungs. But it’s not all bad, he is being sent home while he heals and he might possibly be forced to stay home if his wound affects his breathing as badly as it is now.” 

“C-Can you give the phone back to Church?” Donut felt like he was about to cry. It was great Church would be coming home, but he was seriously injured. 

“Yeah, here you go.” 

“Hey Donut. I’m coming home.” 

“I know. I can’t wait to see you.”


	48. None-"I'll do it for you."

“Hey, stop staring. One of them is going to notice.” Carolina kicks Wash’s desk. They were sitting in their last class of the day, waiting for the bell to dismiss them. Wash was staring at Doc who sat on the other side of the class with Donut. The pair started dating at the end of last school year and have been all over each other since. 

“Sorry.” He put his head face down on the desk. 

“You might have a shot if you just talk to him.” Carolina’s friend York tries to give Wash advice he has heard a million times. Sometimes Wash wishes he wasn’t so good in English that he was in his sister’s class. That way he wouldn’t have to deal with all of her friends pretending to know him based off of what Carolina tells them. 

“He is already dating Donut.” 

“I’ll do it for you.” North offers. “I have nothing to lose in this situation.” 

“No, don’t!” He yells. The class looks over to him. His face turns red and he looks back to Carolina’s friends. The class turns back to what they were doing, ignoring Wash’s outburst. 

“I’ll just live in my misery.” He puts his head back down on the desk.


	49. Carolina/South-"Call me when you get home."

Carolina rolled over lazily, nestling herself further into South’s chest. Today was the day she would be leaving. She had surprised South by showing up on her doorstep with luggage to last her the week. As a couple living in different countries, it was hard to see each other in person. They would video chats every weekend, but between daily life and time zones, they didn’t get to have many meaningful conversations. 

It’s weird to Carolina that just a two weeks ago she was in her apartment in Texas waiting for her computer to show her plane tickets were purchased. Now she was in South’s apartment in Russia waiting for her girlfriend to wake up.

 _Her girlfriend._ Her girlfriend was in her arms. She had thought of this moment since they met. It's been almost six months and this is the first time they've ever touched. 

It's been on week of not leaving each other’s side. Despite the visit being a total surprise to South, she managed to take the entire week off from work to stay with her. She showed Carolina all of the different things around her town that would be considered interesting to someone who wasn't familiar with the area, but to South they were boring, everyday sights.

She also slowly teaching her different words in Russian. There was never a large language barrier between the pair. South had learned English in classes from high school and college. Carolina was forced to take Spanish in high school, but she was trying to learn Russian for South. However, there were moments where the wrong word was used, but the situation was laughed off. 

“Today's the day.” South whispered into Carolina’s hair. 

“I didn't know you were awake.” 

“Of course I'm awake. I have to pack your stuff and make sure you get to your plane safely.” 

“You don't _have_ to do anything. But helping me pack would be nice.” She kisses South’s cheek before getting out of the warm bed. She walks to the nearly empty suitcase that was in the corner of the room and takes out the last pair of jeans. Everything else was sprawled out between the bedroom and connected bathroom. 

She put on the dark blue jeans and then walked over to South's closet. She pulled a purple shirt off of a hanger, putting it on over the tank top she wore to bed. 

“You literally have clothes everywhere.” South called from the bathroom. She was in the process of picking up all of the clothes off the floor and stuffing them into the suitcase while Carolina got ready for the day. 

“How do I look?” Carolina asked in front of the full length mirror hanging on South’s bedroom wall. 

“As if you didn’t have enough clothes, now you’re stealing mine.” 

“I’ll give it back before I leave.” 

“No, you can keep it. I don’t wear it much anyway.” She laughs and attempts to zip up the suitcase. When it doesn’t close all the way, she resorts to sitting on it which only managed to close it another inch. 

“Just fold everything, it’d fit.” 

“I’m not giving up.” 

After five minutes of struggling with the luggage, South finally got it to shut. She stood up with her arms crossed over her chest in triumph. 

“My hero.” Carolina rolls her eyes. South chuckles and picks up suitcase, carrying it outside and putting it in the car. She comes back inside to get dressed before walking back out the door ten minutes later.

“I don’t want to go.” Carolina stood in front of the closed door. 

“I don’t want you to go, but you can’t stay. You have friends and family in Texas. How do you think your friends will feel when you stop paying rent because you are living in Russia?” 

“Why don’t you come home with me then?” 

“I can’t go with you for the same reasons you can’t stay here.” She walks away from her car to where Carolina is standing. She picked up the red head, carrying her to the car and placing her in the passenger's’ seat. She kisses her cheek before closing the door and returning to her side of the car. 

“York is just going to try and win me over when I get back. Do you really want to force me to deal with that?” Carolina throws out one situation after the next to try to guild south into letting her stay. 

“Him and I have had a chat. Why do you think he stopped doing that two months ago.” 

“What about when Kimball tries to sleep in my bed with me when it’s cold outside?” 

“I can talk to her too but I trust you, so I don’t see a problem.” 

“But-” 

“Carolina, stop. We’re already at the airport.” She gets out of the car and retrieves Carolina’s belongings from the backseat. South grabs Carolina’s hand on the way into the airport. 

“I’m going to miss you.” They turn to each other next to the gate. Carolina has tears in her eyes and South is trying her hardest to be happy. She feels there isn’t much they can do, so they need to make this memory and enjoyable one. 

“I’ll miss you too.” She leans her forehead against Carolina’s. “Make sure to call me when you get home. I want to make sure you get there safely.” 

“I will.” She reaches up to kiss her one last time as a worker says her plane is now boarding. South waves as she watches Carolina walk towards her plane. She turns back around to walk to her car while she patiently waits for her phone call later that day.


	50. York/North-"I think you're beautiful."

Everyone thought York was insane when he told them he dreamt of North every night since he died. South wouldn’t listen to him talk about her brother as if he was still alive. He tried telling Carolina about how they would be going on dates like they planned on doing one they were released from Project Freelancer, she told him it was just a dream. And Wash listened as he explained how they would have all sorts of conversations, in return Wash would tell him it was just his mind telling him what he wanted to hear. When CT said she didn’t think he was crazy, he nearly cried tears of joy. But she took it back after York said it was like North was still with him through everything like he promised. 

He argued with all of them. He had to if he wanted to keep the sliver of happiness that came with talking to North every night. He knew it was just a dream, but it felt so real- as if they were actually walking down the street in New York City to the new cafe that opened down the street. And their conversations were too real to be made up by his mind. It was too much like North for it to be made up. York wanted to hold onto the hope that North hadn’t left him after he died, it made being in the project alone just a bit more bearable. 

So as York lied in his bed after a particularly rough training session, he wished that tonight wouldn’t be the night North stopped showing up. It was a constant fear in the back of his head. His number one fear used to be death until he started to think death was his only way out of this war. Then once North died, he found himself accepting he will die one day rather than fearing it. He came to terms with the concept of death: everyone will eventually die, even if you don’t want to. Now his biggest fear is North’s visits coming to an end. 

He was relieved to see North sitting under a tree in Central Park once he fell asleep. He took a moment to observe the scenery before sitting down under the tree. There was a group of kids playing tag nearby, an elderly couple playing chess at the tables set up, and there a jogger would pass by on the dirt path every few minutes. Despite New York being a busy city, the area was calm. There was no war going on around him, no one to give him orders, and no friends getting hurt while there is nothing you can do to help. 

When he sits down with North under the tree, he feels the stress of his training session be replaced with the comfort of North’s arms around him. He relaxed into the warm embrace and waited for a conversation to start between the two. It never took long for one of them to start talking. York would talk about his day or North would bring up a fond memory between the two. 

“How was your day?” 

“Frustrating.” York replied. “We spent almost the entire day training, and I couldn’t concentrate so I nearly got killed. Of course no one did anything while I lied on the ground with the armor lock paint covering me. The only thing anyone said was a stupid joke from one of the soldiers replacing the ammo. I don’t remember anything after that.” 

“What did they say?” 

“ ‘Someone should put the grenades away considering what happened last time.’ “ He mocked the soldiers. “As if I hated this ugly scar enough, they just go and laugh at it.” 

“It’s not ugly. I think you’re beautiful.” North kissed the side of York’s head. 

“Thanks North.” They sat in silence once more. 

They didn’t need the constant flow of conversation, they could sit in silence and just enjoy each other’s company. Their friends were always jealous of that factor in their relationship. Everyone else tried to keep a constant stream of noise to avoid what they would think would be an awkward silence. North always tried to tell them it isn’t awkward if they don’t think of it as awkward, but they would never listen. 

“How is everyone doing?” Norths asks, breaking the silence. 

“They’re okay for the most part. South doesn’t really talk anymore, but when she does it gets her in trouble. The only time anyone really talks to me is to ask if I’m doing better or to tell me I have to go to the training room. Sometimes I tell them about you, but each of them tell me I’m insane.” 

“How are you doing?” 

“I’ve been okay. I’ve come to terms with a lot of things since you died, but I’m good.”

“I have to go.” North stood up abruptly. He does this every night: he looks down at his watch, stands up, says good-bye, and walks away. York would wake up to F.I.L.S.S. waking him up and then he would go about his day.

“Please don’t.” 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He walked away from York.

“See you tomorrow,” York whispered to himself. 

He woke up minutes later to Wash. He looked around the room wondering why it wasn’t his normal wake-up call.

“What?” York groaned. 

He wasn’t a morning person, he never was. He would rather wake up when the sun went down and practice through the night. Instead he was stuck waking up early and training, eating, and living with his friends. He love his friends, but it reaches a point where he doesn’t want to be around them every waking moment. It also doesn’t help that a lot of missions happen during the night. He would go two days without sleep whereas if he slept through the day he would have more energy for his job. 

“I’m sorry I had to wake you up, but we have to go infiltrate a base.” 

“Of course we do.” He gets out of bed. “I’ll be out in a minute.”


	51. Tucker/Wash-"Are you sure?"

_“Just think about it.”_

The four words bounced around in his head. Wash can’t recall a moment where he has been more stressed in his life. Tucker asked him to marry him three days ago and he still hasn’t given and answer. Neither of their families approved of their relationship. Wash’s old school parents didn’t approve of Tucker because he has a son, and Tucker’s parents thought Wash was too old for their son. It wasn’t that large of an age gap, so neither of them understood it. Wash was 31 and Tucker was 26- it’s only 5 years.

Both of them found Wash’s parents excuse to be ridiculous. Wash’s parents thought he wouldn’t be able to date someone who had a child before they were married. Junior was three and he was the most precious thing in Tucker’s life. He was a complete accident, the product of a one night stand from a house party he went to his junior year of high school. Two weeks after the party, the girl came to him, told him she was pregnant, and that she didn’t want anything to do with Junior. His parents thought he was set up for failure as soon as he came home that Monday.

“Oh school was good. Took a test in math, started a new book in English, I got a girl pregnant, and I have a new trumpet solo in band,” Was his reply to his mom when she asked how school was. She was shocked before she started yelling at him. She claimed he was a disappointment and that he would have to grow up. He proved to his parents he would find a way to raise his son, finish high school, and carry on with his life. Now they were disappointed in him for a whole other reason.

Wash thought of all the reasons he should be wary of accepting Tucker’s proposal. Surely Tucker was too young, he wasn’t even twenty. Maybe he only asked because he was in the moment. Though, it wasn’t much of a moment. They were eating lunch at the local pizza parlor and Tucker just asked if Wash wanted to get married. There was a ring, but there wasn’t much of moment. 

Also, how would this affect Junior? He was only three and has only had Wash in his life for a little over a year. Sure they got along well, but Wash didn’t know if he was fit to be a parent figure in the boy’s life. He couldn’t possibly do that, could he? 

“I gotta stop.” Wash shook his head and walked into his kitchen. He made himself a cup of coffee. Despite it being almost midnight, he crave the caffeine. Once his cup of coffee is poured and altered to his liking, he pulls his phone from the pocket of his shorts. He dials Tucker’s number and waits for him to pick up. 

“Hello?” 

“Junior? What are you doing with your dad’s phone at-” He checks his watch. “-twelve thirty?” 

“Watching a movie.” 

“Can you give him the phone?” 

“Yes, but he and grandma are yelling at each other.” 

“Oh, then never mind. I’ll call him later.” Wash was about to hang up, but Junior stopped him. 

“Wait! You and I could talk. I can’t sleep, you sound like you can’t, this can be a compromise.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah,” He said. “Tell me why you were going to call my dad.” 

“I was just going to tell him I would marry him like he asked.” Wash explained nonchalantly. He worried for a second when he didn’t hear a response from Junior. 

“One second.” Junior carried the phone down the stairs with him where he heard Tucker and his Grandmother yelling at each other. She was visiting for the weekend and has caused nothing but trouble in the normally peaceful household. 

“Dad!” Wash heard the phone. 

“What Junior?” Tucker sounded annoyed, but both Wash and Junior were hoping to change that. 

“He said yes.” 

“What?” He disregards his argument, turning all of his attention to Junior. 

“He said yes Dad, he said yes!” He repeats himself. He shoves the phone at Tucker and watches while he brings it to his ear hesitantly. 

“Yes?” 

“Yes.”


	52. Locus/Felix-"Have fun."

The Soulmate Theory has been around for years. Basically it explains that if your soulmate writes something on their body, it would appear on your body as well. Many different types of relationships appear with soulmates. There was a 94.6% marriage rate between soulmates. There were people who decided they would rather be friends due to having other partners, or the people who couldn’t stand the idea of a soulmate and would try their best to avoid their soulmate. 

Growing up, Felix resented his soulmate. He didn’t like the idea of some greater force choosing who he would be stuck with for the rest of his life. Not that he wanted to be with anyone anyway, he preferred to be on his own. Up until he was thirteen he would scribble over all of the things that appeared on his body. Whether it was a note to remember something or a small note saying ‘hello’ he would cross it out. He had no interest in what his soulmate had to say.

When he turned thirteen, he woke up to a long message on his stomach. It asked why Felix was ignoring the other person, asking if he could stop crossing important things out, and wondering if Felix would stop being so petty and just accept he has a soulmate. After he washed the words away, he wrote back explaining his thoughts on having a person he was bound with. He told his soulmate he would stop scribbling out their messages and maybe actually engage in a conversation with the other person every now and then. 

For four years they would write little notes back and forth until they met. Felix had moved schools and was accidentally enrolled in the school’s jazz band. He just sat in a chair and drew little designs on his arm while listening to the class play. He noticed the piano player pull up his long sleeves and stare at his arms in between songs. He didn’t think much of it until the piano player started writing on his own arm. Felix saw each letter appear on his own arm as he quickly moved the pen before starting to play again. 

“Stop distracting me, I’m at practice.” 

He spent five minutes thinking of a joke he could say to show the piano player they were soulmates. Instead of writing something on his arm, he waited until the band stopped to put their instruments away to talk to him in person. He walked up to the grand piano in confidence and waited for the other to notice their present. 

“Uh- hi? Felix right?” 

“Yeah, I was wondering what your name was.” Felix started to question how in the seventeen years he has lived with this person’s writing on their skin he hasn’t ever learned his name. 

“It’s William, but I go by Locus.” 

“Oh, well it’s great to put a name to handwriting.” He smirked, waiting for the information to process in Locus’ mind. Locus looked between his arm and Felix’s, taking note of all the shapes and writing marking each of their fore arms. 

Now, two years after they officially met, they were clingier than ever. Locus blames it on Felix’s constant need for attention and not having Locus there to give it to him. They were on opposite sides of the country attending university. Locus was studying law at and expensive college that he could only afford through scholarships, and Felix stayed at their shared apartment taking care of their pets between shifts at work. They wrote notes to each other on their arms throughout the day or have short conversations on the phone if both of them were free. 

“Lecture at 7:30 am” 

Felix crossed out the time, writing 7:00 am instead. He did this often enough where Locus started writing it down in a planner instead. It’s safe to assume he lost the planner in the mess that is his dorm room considering he had to resort to writing it on his arm. Despite what most people thought, Felix was the organized one between the two. He couldn’t stand to see a mess in their apartment; it always had to be clean.

“Knock it off.” 

“Whatever, have fun at your lecture. Nerd.” He wrote with a little heart drawn next to it. 

“I’ll call you when it’s over.” 

“Can’t wait.”


	53. York/Wash-"Sit down, I'll get it."

The screaming and thrashing wasn’t a new experience for York. Every night there would be some new nightmare causing Wash to kick at an unseen enemy and scream as he does it. York would roll over on his spot in the bed and carefully wake him up. Wash would wake up in tears, ignoring all of York’s questions. They left his dream as a topic they could deal with in the morning. 

What York wasn’t expecting when he rolled over to see Wash reaching out for him menacingly. He was moving closer to York, leaving York nowhere to go but closer to the wall. He would try to fight Wash off, but he would rather find a way out instead of harming Wash. He tried to climb off the foot of the bed. He made it the the edge of the bed before he tripped over the all of the blankets. Now instead of being in between the wall and Wash, he was on the floor between the wall and bed with Wash over him. 

He gave up on trying not to hurt Wash when his calloused hands were enclosed around his throat. He scratched at Wash’s hands trying to pull them away from him. His feet were kicking the wall, that was Maine and Carolina’s room. He hoped that between Wash’s best friend and sister, one of them would be able to get him off of York. 

His vision was fading when he heard the bedroom open. 

“Why are you- no!” Carolina runs inside the room with Maine right behind her. Maine pulls Wash off of York and carries him into his room. Carolina tries to wake up and unconscious York while yelling through the wall in hopes of waking up someone who could call the medical staff. 

The medical staff did eventually arrive to take York to the infirmary. They told Carolina and North- who happened to be the only person hearing Carolina’s yells- that he would be fine. They said he will have bruising around his neck and possibly have trouble breathing for the next few days to a week. 

While North and Carolina squared everything away with the medical staff, Maine was in his room with Wash. He was no longer thrashing, but the screaming wouldn’t stop. Maine was shaking Wash, trying to wake him up and stop the screaming. It took nearly twenty minutes for Maine to give up and trade places with Carolina. He walked to the medical hallway, looking through all the windows until he found where they were keeping York. 

“Is he awake?” Carolina asked when she saw Maine enter the room. He shook his head no, making a gesture that they should switch with his hands. 

“Are you sure? You and York have never gotten along.” Maine waves her off. 

“What if he wakes up and has some breakdown?” He repeats his action and pulls her out of the chair. 

“Okay, fine. But if I find out you just left him here, I’ll be pissed.” She walks out of the room, closing the door on her way out. Maine enjoys the peaceful atmosphere of the room. Wash was his best friend, but he could only take so much screaming. 

Carolina was surprised to see Wash awake when she walked into her room. He was no longer on either of the beds, instead he was pressed up to the closet door. He was looking around the room with fear in his eyes. Carolina figures he must have woken himself up and started panicking when he wasn’t in his room. 

“Wash?” He whips his head in her direction and stares at her with wide eyes. “Wash, calm down. You’re in my room.” 

“W-why? Where’s York?” His voice is hoarse from screaming so long. This isn’t ever a problem considering York can wake him up in a timely matter. 

“I’ll tell you later.” 

“I’m going to go get a drink.” He walks towards her slowly, but she gently pushes him towards her bed. 

“Sit down, I’ll get it. When I come back, I’ll tell you what happened.” 

When she came back, North was already in the room explaining everything to him. She handed her teary-eyed brother his water and sat down next to North. 

“-and they think it’s best you don’t see him for a little while.” 

“What? No, you can’t do that!” 

“Wash, you nearly killed him in your sleep.” North said.

“It wasn’t an accident, I would never hurt him.” 

“It doesn’t matter.” 

“So I can’t see him at all?” Wash asks. 

“You’ll see him at training, but that isn’t an excuse for you to talk to him.” 

“We can talk about this later. There is three hours until our day starts and we’ve all had a long night. Wash you can sleep in my bed.” Carolina ends the conversation. North walked back into his room, Wash lied down in bed, and Carolina went back to York’s room. 

York was in the infirmary for three days by himself. He was stuck in bed while everyone else was training and preparing for their upcoming mission. He hated being left out, he wasn’t dying, he just had bruising on his neck. The Counselor told him he wouldn’t be needed on this mission, but every mission they’ve gone on up until now has had a lock that needed to be opened. He figured he was being left behind because there was a role in the mission they needed Wash to fill in for more than they needed a locksmith. Wash’s biggest talent was adapting to a situation and finding a new way out faster than any of his teammates. 

The night before the mission, York snuck out of the infirmary. He couldn’t let Wash going on a mission without saying good-bye and wishing him luck. He understood that any mission could be the last, so he never went on a mission without spending the night before with Wash. Why would he let this time be any different? 

It wasn’t hard for him to reach the part of the ship where his bedroom was. It was the middle of the night, almost everyone was sleeping. Even the night guards had a habit of sleeping on the job. They are in the middle of space, if something goes extremely wrong, it would be pretty noticeable. 

He opened the door slowly, peeking through the crack in the door. The room was dark but he could see Wash’s body underneath the blankets. He was sleeping on York’s side of the bed, face down on the pillows. 

“For the last time, I don’t feel like talking about it Carolina. Just go back to bed.” Wash pulled the blankets tighter around his shoulders. Without saying anything, York closed the door and climbed into bed with Wash. 

“ ‘Lina’s bothering you?” 

“What are you doing here? I’m not supposed to see you or talk to you.” Wash pushes himself off of the bed and turns on the lamp stood next to the bed. 

“You’re talking to me now, aren’t you?” York smiles. 

They stare at each other for the first time in a week. York noticed the bags under Wash’s eyes; it looks like he has only gotten and hour of sleep the entire time York was gone. Meanwhile, Wash can’t take his eyes off of York’s neck. Everyone told him he attacked York in his sleep, none of them specified how he did it. 

“Hey, don’t worry about those.” York moves Wash’s head up to make eye contact. “They don’t even hurt.” 

“But-” 

“I’m not here to worry about it. I’m here because you are going on a mission tomorrow.” York reaches over Wash and turns off the light. He cuddles into Wash’s chest, wrapping Wash’s arms around himself. 

“Night Wash.” 

“Good night.”


	54. Tucker/Donut-"I made reservations."

Tucker likes to think that the most stressful part of his life after leaving Chorus is when Donut plans a family dinner once a month. On the third Thursday of every month, Donut plans for their family to go to and extremely fancy restaurant. Their family doesn’t fit norm at these restaurants. Between the two scarred soldiers, Tucker’s alien son, and their amputee daughter, the people in the restaurants have a tendency to stare and whisper. 

“Dad? Donut wants to when you are going to be ready,” Junior said through the bedroom door. 

“You tell him I am busy doing what he told me to do!” Tucker snapped. Junior knew not to take it personally, his father was just annoyed. He had a late day at work and he immediately started running around the house preparing for this dinner. 

“He said he was busy doing what you told him to do.” Junior walked into the living room where Donut was sitting. 

“I’m gonna go talk to him. If you’re done getting ready you can relax for a bit.” 

He walks upstairs and into the bedroom he shares with Tucker. When he walks in he sees Tucker braiding their daughter Nicole’s hair. 

They adopted her a few years after the fight against Hargrove. Once they settled into their home with Junior, they thought it was time to add another addition to their family. Donut looked into children being put up for adoption in their area, but when all he came up with was babies, he decided to look into near-by foster homes. 

At the first foster home, Tucker saw Nicole and pointed her out to Donut. She was sitting by herself on the floor playing with a doll. Tucker noticed she had a prosthetic arm and suggested Donut could go talk to her. Donut had received a prosthetic hand in replacement for the hand that was almost completely destroyed during their last battle. Donut and Nicole got along perfectly. They spent the next two months signing all of the adoption papers.

“I know you want me to hurry up. I’m almost done; she has super long hair, ya know.” 

“We need to leave in the next ten minutes. I made reservations and if we aren’t there on time, they will give our table away.” 

“Relax, we’ll be there in time.” Nicole ran downstairs after Tucker finished wrapping the hair tie around the end of her braid. Tucker followed behind her kissing Donut’s cheek on his way out the door.


	55. CT/South- "What can I do to help?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I changed this prompt from "I don't mind" to "What can I do to help?" because I couldn't think of anything for the first one. If anyone wants me to write something for "I don't mind" comment something and I'll try my best to write it.

CT waited on the flight deck for her friends to return from their latest objective. She opted to spend the few days training with long range weapons rather than going with them.

The pelican finally landed and all the agents stumbled out. North, Carolina, and Wyoming had to be taken to the medics. Carolina was walking on her own with a small limp- probably just a sprained ankle, nothing to worry about. Florida is walking with Wyoming whose shoulder is bleeding, it looks like a bullet wound, but she isn’t completely sure. However North isn’t walking, let alone awake. He is being carried by two other soldiers on a stretcher. His stomach appears to have been shot at multiple times and is bleeding profusely. 

“South!” CT runs over when she sees the other twin stumble off of the pelican. She looks sick- her face is pale, she is having trouble balancing, and her eyes look grey instead of their normal blue. 

“Connie? Is North going to be okay?” South wraps her arm over CT’s shoulder to keep her balance while they walk back to their room. 

“I don't know.” 

CT opens their door, helping South walk over to her bed. South lies down on her back and groans. 

“What's wrong?” CT asks. She grabbed a water bottle she had the previous night and handed is to South.

“I’m scared for North. I saw how beat up he was.” 

“What can I do to help?” 

“Just talk.” 

And she did. CT told South all sorts of stories until Carolina knocked on their door to tell them North was out of surgery. She said he would be okay and there was no reason to worry. 

CT has never seen South look so relieved.


	56. None- "It brings out your eyes."

Grif hated shopping. He hated going to the store and trying on clothes that he won't end up buying anyway. The idea just made no sense to him; if he already had clothes why does he need to go buy new ones? 

However, his sister loved shopping. She would drag Grif to the store and look at clothes for hours before leaving with multiple bags from each store they shopped at. If she could, Kai would buy everything in the store just to own it. 

“Why do I have to go?” Grif whined. He was sitting on the couch with Simmons watching a sci-fi movie he picked out. Kai had walked out from her bedroom demanding Grif take her to the mall. 

“Because you say I'm not allowed to drive.” 

“And why aren't you allowed to drive?” 

“Because I crashed your last car and almost died.” She repeats monotonously. 

“Can we go sometime when Simmons isn't over?” Grif asked. He was enjoying his time with Simmons and didn't feel like interrupting that for his sister’s obsession with clothes. 

“I can go with you guys, it isn't that big of a deal.” 

“Simmons, you don't even know what you just did.” 

“Great, then it's settled! I'll meet you in the car in five minutes,” Kai said. She walked back into her room and emerged five minutes later to see Grif and Simmons waiting by the door. 

When they got the mall, Grif and Simmons followed her to the nearest store that caught her interest. She went through rack after rack picking out different things she thought would look good. 

By the time Kai was ready to go try everything on, Grif and Simmons each had a large stack of clothes in their arms. Simmons was amazed by the huge stack, he didn't know it was possible for someone to buy this many clothes at once. But Grif knew that Kai would leave with less than half of what they were holding. 

“How does this look?” She walks out with a navy blue dress on. 

“I don't like it. It's too dark.” 

They repeated that process giving different answers to each article of clothing until they were on the last few outfits. 

“Okay, what about this one?” She was wearing a pair of light blue jeans and a white blouse. 

“I like it, it brings out your eyes.” Simmons comments while Grif is busy on his phone. 

“Thanks Simmons, it’s nice to know _someone_ is paying attention.” 

“Listen, you take me shopping almost every week and I tell you that you look good every day, it’s his turn.” 

“Whatever. Let me put on my clothes and we can leave.” She walks back into the dressing room. 

“Is this seriously a weekly thing?” Simmons asked surprised. 

“Yes.” 

“I’m so sorry.”


	57. Maine/Wash/CT- "There is enough room for all of us."

“Maine says you’re insane and I agree.” 

“We can make this work.” 

“Connie, that is the smallest bed I’ve ever seen. I don’t even think Maine could fit on it by himself.” 

“Oh c’mon, there is enough room for all of us.” CT dismisses everything Wash is saying. 

Maine and Wash are both standing to each side of CT staring at the bed in front of them. The three of them were sent on a mission and were promised a hotel room with a king sized bed. Instead they were given a small room with a single twin sized bed. 

CT was optimistic. She was sure they could all fit on the tiny bed. There might not be a lot of room, but they could fit on the bed comfortably. Wash and Maine, on the other hand, weren’t so sure. CT slept in the middle of the bed every night, she wouldn’t fall off or only be half on the bed the entire night. 

“What if you to lay down and then I lay across you guys?” 

“Maine isn’t supposed to have people on his chest because of his breathing problems.” Wash said. 

“What if you both lay down and I lay down on Wash?” CT suggested. Maine was nodding with an amused smile on his face. 

“No.” 

“What about we all sleep on our sides and as far against the wall as we can?” 

“We would have to sleep in order of height to all fit meaning you wouldn’t be able to sleep in the middle.” 

“We all have to give up something.” Maine signed. 

“You’re just saying that because you want to sleep next to Wash.” 

“Actually, I think we should sleep like that.” Wash agreed with Maine. 

“And you’re just saying that to sleep next to Maine.” 

“You’ll be okay for a night on the end.” 

Maine and Wash climb onto the small bed. They press themselves as close to the wall as they can and there is barely enough room for CT to lay down in front of Wash. But when she does the three of them relax in the tiny bed. 

“I’m falling off.” 

“Welcome to my life.”


	58. "You don't have to say anything."

Dante sat in the waiting room anxiously waiting for Locus and Wash to show up. He was shaking his leg and kept running his hands through his hair. Some older lady came up to him and asked if he was nervous about his wife having a baby. He had to inform her that he was waiting for his two boyfriends to meet him at the hospital because his third boyfriend was in intensive care. She didn’t seem as happy for him after that. 

“Wash! Locus!” Dante runs to them when they walk into through the doors. He practically falls into Locus’ arms and starts to cry again. 

“Where is he? Is he okay? What happened?” Wash asked, rubbing Dante’s back. Locus took the two out of the hospital and into the parking lot by their car so they could talk without the entire waiting room staring. 

“He is in intensive care and I don’t know they won’t tell me.” 

“Dante, what happened?” Locus repeated Wash’s question. 

“We went out for lunch and he ordered a salad. After he ate the salad he had a really bad allergic reaction to it.” 

“What was in the salad?” 

“I don’t know! There must have been dried berries or something in it because he is only allergic to berries.” 

“What did you tell the front desk?” Wash asked. He spent his childhood in and out of hospitals to visit his mother, he knew that only close family members would be allowed to visit a patient in intensive care.

“I told them he and I were engaged so they would let me ride in the ambulance with him.” Dante wipes the tears away from his eyes. 

“Alright, when we sign in we will tell them we are his adopted brothers. That way, even if only one of us is allowed in at a time, we will all be able to go in eventually.” 

Locus and Wash signed in the receptionist and after some looks of doubt, they were allowed on the list of people who could see Felix once given the okay. Then there was three of them anxiously sitting in the waiting room. 

Locus was more relaxed than Wash and Dante. He has known Felix since middle school and this wasn’t the first time Felix has done something stupid and landed himself in the hospital. There might always be a hint of panic in the back of his mind, but he knows Felix can pull through. 

Wash was even more worried than Dante was. He panics over everything- someone could trip and he will spend two hours making sure they are alright. He was also the newest addition to their relationship meaning it was the first time he has been around when Felix gets seriously hurt. There were a few times when Wash had to sit with Felix all night because he decided to do a backflip and failed resulting in a concussion or when he would clean up cuts that would show up on Felix’s body from various things. 

“Are you three here for Felix?” A doctor walked up to the three of them. Dante nudged Wash who was busy panicking in his own world so he wouldn’t miss what the doctor had to say. 

“Yes.” 

“Which one of you is his fiance?” Locus and Wash had to hold themselves back as Dante introduced himself. 

“Well, Felix is okay now. But you will need to make sure he is watching what he eats and drinks plenty of water. He is out of intensive care so you can all visit, but don’t overwhelm him. He is in room 247; the elevators are down that hallway.” 

“Thank you so much.” 

The three waited for the doctor to leave before rushing towards the elevators. Dante kept pushing the floor number until the doors shut as if it was going to close them any faster. When the doors opened, Dante sprinted to Felix’s room and barged in instead of waiting for Locus and Wash to join him. 

“Hey,” Felix said tiredly. “Did you get our left overs?” 

“No I didn’t get our left overs! I was preoccupied!” 

“That’s a shame, that was the best salad I ever had.” 

“I’m glad that even in a time like this you keep your sense of humor.” 

“Eh, I try.” Felix shrugged. 

“How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?” His anxiety of the situation came back.

“I’m fine. And no.”

“I’m so sorry. If I saw there were berries in it, I wouldn’t have let you order it. I could have said something. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“You don’t need to say anything. I’m an adult and it was my mistake. Calm down, I’m perfectly fine.” 

“Felix!” Wash entered the room once Felix finished his sentence. 

“I tried to get him to stay out so you guys could have a minute. Obviously it didn’t work out.” Locus whispered to Dante. 

“It’s okay, I don’t know what else I could have said. Neither of us are good with emotions. I'm sure that would have ended n an argument if Wash didn't come in and distract us.”


	59. Felix/Locus- "Wow."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently moving and didn't have much time to write anything. Instead I went into my archive of old stories and found one that fit the prompt and was somewhat okay. Also just as a warning, there is a suicide scene towards the middle.

Felix jumped into the alien gateway as soon as Locus did. They were immediately separated, they were each brought to a balcony overlooking a planet. The planet morphed into a scene that neither of them ever recall happening. It felt like a memory, but they couldn't remember it happening.

_ Felix looked at the scene in front of him. No one there seemed to notice him, and if they did they didn't bother to show any recognition. He briefly remembers the scenery of Locus' house from when they were still in training. He would often sneak in and out of the back window leading to Locus' room to avoid his family. He was only ever there from late at night to dawn. The house was old and run-down. If the house wasn't made of bricks, it probably would have fallen apart by now. There were four rooms and a giant kitchen. One room for Locus, another for his little sister, one for his parents, and another that Felix has never seen anyone come in or out of. _

Locus was on his own balcony looking at the scene unfold in front of him. It came together in pieces, quite literally. It was like a bad movie that would glitch out. The little squares formed together to see Felix's old apartment. Locus would stay there with Felix on the weekends to avoid his own house and because Felix never liked to be alone. And his frequent visits were more for Felix than his own escape, of course. In the time the pair managed to stay in the small, two bedroom apartment, they decorated it nicely. There were pictures on the wall behind the grey couch, and a flat screen television. One bedroom was the bedroom and the other was turned into a gym of sorts; it had a bar hanging off the ceiling for pull-ups, a treadmill, and tons of weights. It was only used when training was off for the holidays.

_ Felix walked through the house while the people seemed to disappear one by one. He ran his hand along the chipping green paint on the wall of the hallway while he made his way to the end of the hall where Locus' room can be found. He opened the dark brown wooden door to see the room nice and clean. Unlike Felix, Locus always kept everything nice and orderly. Locus once asked him about why he never cleaned his house, to which he replied with, "It might be dirty, but I know where everything is." _

_ In the room there wasn't many decorations on the wall. However there was a sword hanging on the wall and two picture frames were rested on the nightstand. Felix sat down on the neatly made bed, and picked up both of them. He doesn't ever remember seeing these sitting on the nightstand. One of the two was framed in a black painted frame and was Felix with all his armor on except his helmet, which was being held loosely by his hand. He was running his hand through his hair with his eyes closed. He can't place when this picture would have been taken, but he looks young. The other is Locus and himself sitting by a lake with no armor on. Felix remembers this picture. He took it when they went on their first date. He isn't sure how Locus got it, but it looked nice sitting next to his bed. _

Unlike Felix, Locus was stuck just watching the scene. There was no walking through, he could only stare as the memory that wasn't his took place. He isn't sure who's memory it is, but it isn't his. The screen glitches moved around another time to reveal Felix sitting on his kitchen counter in pajamas (consisting of loose pajama pants and nothing else) eating a bread roll. Locus could see every scar and tattoo on him. He could see the tattoo that covered Felix's right half of his chest that went onto his shoulder, which grew into a whole sleeve of tattoos. On his left forearm he had two tattoos that don't pop out as much as the others. There was a set of tally marks counting up to twelve and a forest green colored X. Locus never understood the twelve, but he did know the green X was for him because he two orange lines on his wrist.

As far as scars go, Felix had a lot. Most were stab wounds and bullet holes. There were some Locus knew he had caused; there were only three of them, each one barely seen, but clear as day to him. One from when they were told to fight in training by the coach who claimed, "Knowing your partner's moves is important. If you can't beat them in a fight, you won't beat anyone." They were supposed to fight without armor, but still have knives. Locus through the knife into the wall behind Felix in an attempt to miss, but ended up grazing his upper left arm. Felix insisted it was fine, but Locus still felt bad about it. The second was when they went on their first "mission" and the target moved and the bullet hit Felix in the side. It should have just bounced off his armor, but with Locus' luck, it hit in one of the small spots the armor doesn't cover. The third was when Locus was making dinner and Felix scared him. He turned around with the fork in his hand, and it just happened to scrape across Felix's stomach. Neither of them understood how that left a mark, let alone a scar, but they both came to terms that it wasn't going away.

_ Felix lied down on Locus' bed just thinking of what was happening. He wasn't doing anything other than thinking, not making any disturbances to the characters that seemed to be making their way back into the scene. Locus returned first, appearing into his room out of mid-air. He didn't notice Felix lying on his bed, so Felix ignored whatever it was that Locus was doing. Then he was moved back onto the balcony where he was before, no longer able to interact with everything, but instead watch the newer scene unfold. Locus lied on his stomach on the bed, looking over at the pictures Felix was just looking at. _

_ He could hear parts of a distant conversation going on. It sounded like Locus' parents. Felix never really met them, Locus never wanted him to. _

_ He claimed that they weren't social people and it would be easier to just avoid them at all costs. Felix never thought twice about it. Back to the conversation he was hearing, the adults were arguing. He isn't sure what about, but Locus' father was getting angrier than his mother. The conversation stopped, and then footsteps echoed throughout the house. Locus' eyes went wide and he started to put everything away. He hid the picture frames underneath something in the nightstand, he took the sword off the wall and set it on the top shelf of the closet under some jackets. The armor that was on the floor was kicked into the closet, and then Locus sat on the bed with a book pretending to read it. Felix didn't understand why everything had to be hidden and put away, but he didn't have much time to think about it as the bedroom door opened and slammed into the wall behind it. _

Locus didn't know what happened, but he was now standing in the room with Felix. He didn't know what to do, there was no reason for him to be standing here. He decided to just sit on the couch and see how long it takes for something to happen. So Locus sat on the couch, looking at Felix. Felix wasn't acting like himself. He was nervous and more on-edge than he normally is. He kept running his hands through his hair, crossing and uncrossing his legs, and picking at the skin on his hands. Felix jumps off the counter and walks into the workout room, leaving the door wide open. Locus follows behind him and looks in the room to see Felix doing push-ups on the floor. He stands behind the man working out to see that every picture on the living room walls are completely noticeable from this half of the room.

Felix's push-ups slowed down and he seemed to be falling apart then and there. He sat himself up against the wall, his knees were up to his chest and his head was between them. He looked so vulnerable, unlike how Locus has ever seen him. Even in his sleep Felix has his guard up. Felix rested his elbows on his knees and held his head up with his hands. His fingers were pulling at his hair as he closed his eyes tightly. Locus has only ever seen Felix cry twice. But he caught on fast to the warning signs that Felix was about to metaphorically crumble to pieces and Locus didn't want to witness it.

_ Locus' mother marches into the room angrily and stands at the foot of the bed. She stares at Locus expectantly, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. _

" _ Yes?" His voice isn't as deep as it is when he has his helmet on. Felix wishes he could hear this voice more often. Locus sets the book down on the nightstand. He looks like he knows what's about to happen, but won't accept it. His mother doesn't say anything, but instead grabs the collar of her son's shirt and drags him into the room Felix has never seen anyone enter or leave. _

_ The room has plain white walls and a beige carpet with what looks to be blood stained into it. There is a couch and a coffee table, but other than that there seems to be no furniture in the room at all. Locus stands in front of his mother waiting for her next move; she pushes him so he falls to his knees and then slams his head against the corner of the table. She kicks him in his ribs as he just lied there and took it. Locus could easily fight back, but he knows it wouldn't solve anything. And the only way to stop her would probably be to kill her and that's something Locus would rather not do. _

_ Felix isn't sure how he feels about this whole ordeal. He is disturbed that he is witnessing his best friend, boyfriend, and the best soldier he knows get abused by his mother. He is mad at Locus for not fighting back. He is angrier about Locus' mother doing this in the first place. He feels betrayed because Locus never told him this happened. He is overall upset because he can't do anything other than stand here and witness it. He can't jump back into this "memory" and fight Locus' mom for Locus. _

_ The screen goes black and the original planet shows up behind it. _

Felix looks around to see that everything is fading away. Then he feels his body going up until he is spit out of the alien gateway. Felix is terrified, but he won't show it to everyone around him. He stays calm and collected while the two soldiers check his vitals and try to talk to him about what happened.

The scene skipped ahead for Locus. It skipped in little bits. One second Felix picked himself up, then he was across the room walking out the door. Locus didn't follow, he was bound to come back in the work-out room eventually. Felix walked in with rope in his hands, the he was standing on a chair to reach the pull-up bar. Then the rope was hanging off of the bar. Then Felix's neck was in the rope. Finally, the scene stopped glitching, though Locus wish it hadn't. He saw Felix look out at the pictures on the living room wall and kick the chair away.

Unlike Felix, Locus was just shot out of the gateway. He landed on his feet, looking around frantically.

"No." He said when he couldn't see Felix anywhere. Then he appeared and Locus had his gun to him in a second. "What did you see?"

"Calm down, it was just an illusion. And I didn't see anything, turns out I'm the true soldier." Felix pushed down Locus' gun from his chest.

"What did you see?" Locus spoke with more force this time.

"Something out of my worst nightmares." The two original soldiers ran off as the dinner bell rang out through their makeshift base. "What did you see?"

"I'd rather not say. What did the soldiers have to say about it?"

"They read some more of the script and found out that it was a warped version of what really happened. Meaning that whatever you saw happened in reality, but their could have been different people, settings, or outcomes." Both of them left the situation alone and went along with the soldiers to go do whatever it is they had to do.

Later that night Felix and Locus were stood in their shared room taking off the metal armor and skin-tight suit underneath. Not many people knew they shared a room, but the ones that did never dared to bring it up or ask why. Felix was the first one into their shared bed; Locus was looking into the mirror on the closet door while he brushed his hair and pulled back into a bun. Felix preferred when his hair was down and he could run his fingers through it, but Locus thought it was better out of his face. Locus lied on his back behind Felix who was lying on his side. Felix turned over to his other side and looked at Locus.

"So what warped reality did you see?"

"I told you I'd rather not talk about it." Felix loved to hear Locus' voice when he didn't have his helmet on. His helmet made his voice sound a bit deeper and raspier. Without the helmet, Locus spoke clearly and fluently at all times.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because I don't want to think about it. I would much rather forget it ever happened.

"Fine." Felix sighed and rolled back over. They sat in awkward silence until Felix started to sigh dramatically in hopes of getting Locus to tell him what happened.

"You were in our apartment. The one in Chicago?"

"I know where our apartment is, I bought it." He turned again to face Locus who was on his side looking at Felix.

"Anyway, it was when you had black hair with the orange strip in the front. It started with you eating nervously on the counter. Then the scene shifted into the weight room that we never used. You walked out and walked back in, and then you hung yourself." Locus's voice cracked at the end of his explanation.

"I- uh- it was-" Felix stopped himself from finishing his statement.

"So what part of that was different from what really happened?"

"Did I die in the illusion?" Locus nodded. "That was the difference."

Felix has never seen Locus cry.  _ Ever.  _ He wasn't even sure if it was possible for Locus to cry. But it obviously was, as his caramel colored eyes were watering up.

"Wow, just wow. Why would you do that?" Locus whispered. He couldn't bring himself to speak any louder.

"I don't know. It was a terrible day and I was alone and it just happened."

"Okay. What did you see?"

"Your mom took you into that room and she beat you." Felix cut straight to the point. "What part of that was fake?"

"It wouldn't have been that room. That room belonged to my little brother that died, it would have been in my room."

"Oh." They sat in silence.

"I do love you, you know." Locus said, breaking the deafening silence.

Locus didn't say that he loved Felix often, he just assumed that the black and orange soldier understood that he did. Felix told Locus he loved him all the time: before missions, before they go to bed, when they wake up, or anytime he feels it needs to be said. Locus would acknowledge it, but never really said it back. Felix nodded and kissed him before turning over and attempting to go to sleep.


	60. Grif/Simmons- "Happy Birthday."

“Hey, sorry I’m late.” Grif sits down in front of the stone that marks Simmons’ death.

There was a heavy feeling in the air, whether it was the alway humid air on Chorus or it was the way Grif knew he was avoiding this. He didn’t want to come, but Tucker convinced him it would be the right thing to do. It’s been three months since the fight against Hargrove that resulted in Simmons’ death, and Grif hated going to the cemetery to “talk” to Simmons. 

“I’m sure you wouldn’t have expected me to remember, but happy birthday. I was going to get us new wedding rings this year considering the hell these ones have gone through.” 

Grif twists the silver band around his finger. He started wearing it again after the funeral. It used to sit on a chain around his neck so it wouldn’t slip off while taking his arm on and off, but now that he doesn’t have a reason to wear armor, he wears it on his ring finger. 

“Things have been different, to say the least, since the fight against Hargrove. I mean, despite the obvious. Our team stayed on Chorus, the blues have dispersed a bit, but they still keep contact with us. Sarge took Lopez and is training soldiers at the military base near by, he is actually doing better than I thought he would. These soldiers will turn out to have a more standard military experience compared to ours. Donut and I share a small apartment, but we spend a lot of time on base. There isn’t much else for us, so might as well stick to what you know, right?” 

Grif would never tell a single soul, but he actually asked Donut to move in with him. He wanted to keep his life as normal as possible and having the out-going soldier around happened to be normal for him. The same reason applies for going to the base. He goes to talk to Sarge and his lieutenants even if neither of them were in the mood to talk. 

“Wash and Carolina claimed they would go back to their hometown in Texas, but they are still around. Tucker is gone most of the time. He has been on Earth, working on how he was going to get Junior away from his parents and bring him back to Chorus. His parents see him as an unfit parent due to the whole war thing that’s gone down, but he is slowly winning the custody battle. Caboose has been surprisingly alright. When Church erased his memories, basically killing himself, they gave Caboose Delta and Theta. He seemed content having the two AIs, so no one questioned it or dared to bring up Church.” 

There was a brief moment in time where Grif considered going with Tucker to Earth. He desperately wanted to be on the Hawaiian islands. He loved the beach and wanted nothing more but to sit next to the peaceful waves. But his commitment to Simmons was worth more to him than anything a beach in Hawaii could offer. 

“I wish I had more to talk about, but keeping to a routine doesn’t allow for much originality. I wonder how you did it. Maybe it was me constantly disrupting your schedule? I don’t know. “ 

He stood up, dusting the grass of his pants. 

“I- I really miss you, Simmons.”

He walked down the dirt path that turned into a cement sidewalk. He was going home to live another day without Simmons.


	61. 61. Church/Tucker- "I'll pick it up after work."

“What did you do this time?” Carolina walks into his class during the lunch period. This was common, they both taught calculus at their town’s high school and have become friends because of it. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“You’ve been showing each of your classes a movie. You only show movies when you’re trying to think of ways to make something up to Tucker. So what did you do?” She repeats her question. 

“Okay, fine.” He sighs, knowing he has to tell her or she’ll never leave. “We got in a fight last night. I don’t even remember what it was about, he was so angry though.” 

“What are you gonna do to fix it?” 

“I don’t know,” Church admits. He put his head in his hands and groans. He wanted to do something meaningful, something that would prove he is actually sorry. He knows it takes more than a dinner to prove it. 

“You should get him flowers.” Grif walks into the class. 

“What are you doing in the math hallway?” Carolina said. 

“My class is taking pictures of different classrooms in this hall. They all looked abandoned since you guys have lunch, so I sent my students to go throw around some papers and make it look like something from a horror film.” Grif shrugged. He was the photography teacher and was notorious for disrupting different classes to teach his students. 

“Grif, you’re a genius!” Church exclaimed. 

“He is?” 

“I am- I mean, of course I am.” 

“Yes! Why didn’t I think to get him flowers?”

Church felt ridiculous for not thinking of it sooner. When Tucker started college, he worked at a flower shop with his grandmother in between classes. The job brought them closer together and his grandmother became a source of comfort with the stress of Junior and college. She helped him until he was in a more stable environment and could do a better job of providing for himself and junior on his own. 

He knew he could get Tucker a bouquet of different flowers and Tucker would know the meaning of each one. 

“I’ll pick them up after work.” 

The bell rings, dismissing students to their next class. Carolina and Grif say their goodbyes before retreating to their own classrooms. The hallways filled with students almost instantly, filling the silence with different conversations. Church’s class would fill up relatively fast, the rest of his classes for the day were small and only had about fifteen people in each. The bell rings again a few minutes later, allowing the teachers to start their lessons. 

“Alright, we aren’t going to actually do anything today.” There was a small cheer among the students. “I’ll have a movie playing, but you can do whatever as long as you’re not too loud.” 

He used his desktop that each teacher had to play a movie on the projector and used his personal laptop to look up different flowers he could put in a bouquet for Tucker. 

It took Church the last of his three afternoon classes to find the flowers he wanted to use: tamarisk meaning guilt, balm for empathy, asphodel symbolizing regret, red carnations for commitment, and blue violets meaning faithfulness and love. Step two of his plan was the easiest. He would just have to wait for Junior to get out of school and ride the bus to the high school and then drive to the nearest flower shop on their drive home. 

“Church! I have math homework for you to do!” Junior interrupts the last ten minutes of class. Church’s students find it funny when Junior just barges into class. Unfortunately, Junior caught on to that and comes up with something new to yell everyday. 

“I’ll help you with it, but I’m not doing it for you.” 

Junior walked over to Church’s desk and pulled his homework out of his bag. It was a page of one-variable equations- much simpler than the calculus Church taught everyday. He spent the rest of the class period explaining the steps to solving each equation to Junior.

When the final bell of the day went off, all the students ran out of the building despite the teacher’s attempts to stop them from running. Junior waited behind patiently while Church cleaned up his classroom before packing up his belongings to leave.

“What are you gonna get dad?” 

“You heard us arguing, didn’t you?” 

“Mhm.” Junior nodded. 

“Well, we are stopping to get him flowers on the way. You might have been too little to remember, but your dad used to work with your great-grandma at a flower shop. He really loved it.” Church held the door to the parking lot open. 

“Were you and dad dating then?” Junior asks once they are driving.

“For part of it.” 

A few minutes later he parked the car and led junior into the flower shop. He handed the list of flowers he made early to the lady at the register. She walked around the shop arrange the flowers in a blue vase. Once the flowers were paid for, they drove the rest of the way home. 

“Tucker?” Church called through the house. He could hear footsteps coming down the stairs, so he waited in the kitchen for Tucker. He had Junior standing where Tucker wouldn’t see him with   
The flowers. 

“What?” He stood with his arms crossed in front of Church. 

“I felt bad for arguing last night, so I- uh, got you something. Junior?” 

Junior walks towards them when the flowers held in front of him. The scowl on Tucker’s face turned into a shocked expression. He took the vase from his son, looking at each of the flowers in the arrangement. He placed it on the counter next to him. 

“Church, I love it.” Tucker walked over to Church and hugged him. 

“It’s the ugliest arrange of flowers I’ve ever seen, but I really appreciate the thought.” He whispered into Church’s ear. 

“It’s the thought that counts.”


	62. "It can wait until tomorrow"

“Hello?” North answered his phone. It was almost two in the morning and the last thing he was expecting was a phone call. 

“North?” Wash asked. It was obvious he had been crying. “Can I came over?” 

“Yeah, of course! I’ve been meaning to talk to you anyway.” North felt more awake than he did before. He got out of his bed and walked started walking downstairs to his kitchen. 

“Thanks. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” 

North made himself a cup of coffee to drink while waiting for Wash to show up at his door. Judging by past instances, this would be about Wash’s liking to a friend of his. Wash only refers to him as “Doc”, saying that his friends called him that because he worked as a nurse in a hospital. 

As Wash’s best friend, he knew he was supposed to help Wash with anything he could. His problems became North’s and North’s became his. Well, the problems he chose to share anyway. He couldn’t imagine ever telling Wash how he felt about him. He sees how Wash talks about Doc, it wouldn’t even be possible for Wash to like him back. 

There was a faint knock on his door that pulled North out of his thoughts. After he set his cup in the sink, he opened the door to invite Wash inside. This was routine enough that Wash walked passed him silently and went to go sit on the couch. North locked the door before joining him.

“What happened?” 

“He got engaged. There was a picture of it, it was him and Donut with rings on.” Wash wipes at the tears falling down his face.

“Why don’t you try telling him how you feel? It’s not going to stop his engagement, but you’ll feel better.” Sometimes North wishes he would follow his own advice. 

“I can’t do that, it would ruin our friendship! You wouldn’t know what it’s like.” 

North wants to scream that he does. He knows exactly what it feels like to love someone without them knowing. He wants nothing more but to have Wash love him back, but instead he stays silent. He lets Wash cry into his shoulder about how he wishes he never met Doc in the first place. 

It took just over an hour before Wash calmed down completely. He sat on the opposite side of the couch from North, staring at him intently. He was wrapped in the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and kept glancing at Wash to see if he was doing any better. 

“What did you want to tell me? You said something about talking to me earlier.” 

“Nothing. It can wait until another day.” North gave the blanket to Wash and walked back upstairs to his bedroom. He didn’t want to leave Wash alone in the living room, but North needed time to himself.


	63. Church/Caboose- "Cross my heart and hope to die."

No one could explain how this happened. It was supposed to be a standard training session- they split the teams up and would play capture the flag until one of the teams won. They had rubber bullets, fake grenades, and flimsy knives that could be used on the training grounds. It was a training activity the soldiers on Chorus have done a million times, no one has ever been seriously injured. The activity was designed specifically to avoid casualties. 

The game was going well. Red team was winning with their flag three quarters of the way to their base, and blue team was right behind them trying trying to retrieve their flag from the reds. Sarge had ordered one of the lieutenants to go “shoot” one of blue commanders giving orders from their base, but gave the specific instructions to avoid the cobalt soldier because even in a training simulation they couldn’t get him to die. 

No one was expecting a real bullet to exit the gun and lodge into Caboose’s shoulder. The rubber bullets would bounce off the person and the person is considered dead and can no longer participate in the game. The worst injury someone could get is a nasty bruise that would last for a few days. 

Tucker was the first to react. He screamed for the game to stop and everyone retreated to their bases without realizing what had happened. He left the training grounds to get Grey, Kimball, and the freelancers. 

Church ignored everything going on around him. The reds shouting across the field asking why they stopped and the blue lieutenants trying to see what happened was pushed to the back of his mind. Caboose was his main concern now. He started taking all of the bulky armor off, but left the under suit on. He took off Caboose’s helmet last and he almost wishes he left it on. Caboose’s eyes were screwed shut in pain and he was biting his lip so hard Church was scared he would hurt himself even more. 

“Caboose? Can you hear me?” Caboose nodded slowly. “Tucker just went to go get help, he’ll be back as soon as he can.” 

“I’m really tired Church.” 

“No! No, I need you to stay awake buddy. Just until Tucker comes back with Dr. Grey, then you can sleep as much as you want.” 

Church abandons his robot body in favor of entering Caboose’s head. It’s much easier to communicate with someone when you’re in their head. The only people wearing armor must have been the people Caboose has seen with armor on. He stops to look down at his human body for a second, he hasn’t seen himself out of armor since he was in Blood Gulch. 

He shakes his head, he has to get to Caboose. There are significantly more people residing in Caboose’s memory since the last time Church went through his head, but he still managed to find Caboose within seconds. 

“Church! What are you doing here?” He had tears running down his face. Church briefly wonders why he wasn’t crying outside of his mind. Caboose had never bothered to hide his feelings, Church always associated that with having such a large family that there wasn’t room to lie about things. 

“To talk to you.” He said calmly. He was panicking, but he had to stay calm so Caboose wouldn’t get upset more than he already was. 

“I’m scared, Church.” 

“Me too. But it’s okay, nothing bad is going to happen.”

“Promise?” 

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” He made and “x” over his chest where his heart would be. 

“Thanks Church.” 

“Tucker is back with everyone. They’re going to help you.” 

“What are they going to do?” 

“I- I don’t know, but it’ll be okay.” 

Two hours later, Grey walked out of the hospital room Caboose was moved into after his surgery. Church thanked her and slammed the door in her face as he ran into the room. Caboose was sitting shirtless in his bed. There was a bandage taped to his shoulder that had a small spot of blood on it. 

“Hey, how’re you feeling?” 

“I’m okay. Dr. Grey gave me medicine that’s keeping shoulder numb.” He pointed to his IV bag hanging next to his bed. 

“I’m glad.”


	64. Bitters/Palomo- "It's two sugars, right?"

This is my life for the next to weeks. Bitters thinks to himself while he stands next to Palomo at a counter filled with jewelry. It wasn't the highest quality, but it would serve its purpose, even if it did turn their skin green in the process. 

“What about these ones?” Palomo pointed to a pair of black rings. One had a silver stripe on either side of a black stripe. The other one was the same with the exception of seven small diamonds placed in the black stripe. 

As much as Bitters didn't want to admit it, they were the nicest ring either of them have seen all day and they fit perfectly. 

“Alright, let's get these ones.” 

It didn't take long to buy the display rings and leave the store. Palomo played with the two black boxes in the passenger seat of Bitters’ truck. 

Bitters thinks about how he got into a position of buying two wedding rings. He is twenty-six and never had plans of getting married, but now he was going to fake a marriage with a man five years younger than him. 

Palomo showed up at Bitters’ two bedroom apartment around noon the previous day. He said his parents were coming to town and he told them he was married with a dog. Bitters couldn't comprehend why he would tell his parents that, let alone why the detail of having a dog was important, but decided to help his younger friend out anyway. 

They spent a week together in his apartment. Palomo brought over enough of his belonging to justify him living there and they set up the guest room. The first day was awkward, neither of them were used to having another person around. The second day, however, came much more naturally to them. They were doing all the cliche domestic things Bitters thought only happened on television shows. 

Now that they had the rings and Bitters’ German Shepard was already at home, they were prepared for Palomo’s parents plane to land.

“Do you want to go get lunch somewhere? I know a place that gives free meals to people who get engaged during their meal.” Bitters offers.

“I'm always up for free food.” 

“Give me your ring box.” Bitters said once they were parked.

“Why can't I propose to you?” Palomo argued. 

“Because I would be the one to do it, obviously.” 

Bitters isn't the type of person to work off of stereotypes, but between appearances alone it is easy to assume Bitters would ask Palomo. Palomo was short with a head full of curls and baby fat he could never get rid of. On the other hand, Bitters had a sleeve of tattoos with other scattered around his body and eyebrow, tongue, and ear piercings. If anyone ever viewed Bitters as weak it was because of his prosthetic leg whereas people saw Palomo as a defenseless child.

“Whatever,” Palomo rolled his eyes. “Let's just go inside.” 

Bitters stuffed the ring box in his front pocket and they entered the restaurant. He grabbed Palomo’s hand as they were being seated. They each ordered their meals and waited for the waitress to come back with their food. 

“You need to make this believable. Like I want tears.” 

“You want me to cry over this?” Palomo asked with disbelief. 

“Hell yeah! I payed almost two hundred dollars for the rings, this isn't gonna be something for you to brush under the rug.” 

“You’re being ridic-” 

“Shut up, I can see the waitress. She is about to come out with our food.” 

He stood up from his chair, watching the people around them stare at what was going on. He took a deep breath before digging the box out of his pocket and kneeling. He could hear the gasps around them.

“Palomo, ever since I met you, you've made everyday brighter than the last. Will you marry me?” 

Short, simple, and to the point. 

“I- I- Yes! Oh my god, of course!” Palomo covered his smile with his hand trying to stop himself from laughing at the scene they were making. After sliding the ring onto Palomo’s left hand, They both stood up and kissed in front of everyone who was applauding them. 

“Congrats you two! You're meal will be covered today, hope you enjoy!” The waitress said her rehearsed line. She set the food down on the table before returning to the kitchen. 

“Well, let's eat our free meal.” They both sat down. 

They left less than thirty minutes later to pick up Palomo’s parents from the airport. Bitters put on his own ring when they got in the car and smiled over to Palomo. 

They were both confident in their plan. They had sat down and discussed the story they would use. They kept how they met as similar to how they actually met to keep the confusion low. When Bitters returned home from the army, he ran into his next door neighbor Palomo trying not to miss the closing elevator doors. They started dating a few months after they met, it took a year for Bitters to propose, and they got married at the courthouse with their two closest friends there to sign the papers. 

As for the smaller details, they weren't completely worked out. Some Things- such as neither of them having pictures together- could be explained with on the spot answers. The answer to that particular question was that neither of them cared for having photos hung up. 

Everything would go smoothly. 

They waited at baggage claim, holding each other's hand talking about random things that came to mind. 

“Palomo! How have you been, dear?” His mother hugged him tightly.

“You must be the husband?” Palomo's dad sticks his hand out for Bitters to shake. 

“Yeah, though you can call me Bitters. It has a better ring than ‘the husband’.” Bitters laughs. 

“Mom, this is my husband Bitters.” 

“I've heard a lot about you.” 

He makes a mental note to ask Palomo how his mom knew a lot about him if the marriage wasn't arranged until almost a week ago. But for now he will have to let it go.

“The same for you, it's a pleasure to finally meet you after almost three years!” 

Once they returned home and his parents were all settled into the guest room, all four sat in the living room. It wasn’t a big room- it was, after all, the living room in an apartment inhabited by one person. But they made do with the shortage of seating. Palomo’s parents were sitting on the two-person couch while Palomo sat on Bitter’s lap in the chair to the left of it. 

“Ya know what, why don’t I get everyone something to drink?” Bitters patted Palomo’s thigh, telling him to get up. He didn’t like the awkward silence surrounding everyone, he needed to excuse himself for a moment. 

“What would everyone like?” 

“We’ll just have waters.” Palomo’s dad said. 

“And I’ll have a cup of coffee.” 

“At this time of day?” 

“He does this a lot, it isn’t anything to worry about.” Bitter’s dismissed her thoughts. “It’s two sugars, right?” Palomo nodded and then Bitters walked to the other room to get the drinks. 

When he comes back to hand everyone their drinks, they are discussing different things about Palomo’s marriage with Bitters. Each one had an answer from the story they came up with except for one. 

“When should I expect grandkids?” 

Palomo nearly chokes on his drink and Bitters panics for a moment. Out of all the questions they thought his parent’s would ask, neither of them thought of this one. 

“Uh- we aren’t really sure. For right now we have Ash.” His dog perks up upon hearing her name. She walks over to the chair Bitters is sitting on and lies down next to it. 

“Besides, there is a chance that Bitters could be called back into the military.” They both know it isn’t true but the lie will suffice for now. 

Palomo’s mother stops the conversation shortly after, saying she was tired and ready for bed. Her and his father walked back to their bedroom, leaving Palomo and Bitters alone in the living room. 

“I think we pulled it off, if I do say so myself.” Palomo says proudly. 

“I wouldn’t say that yet, we still have two weeks.”


	65. Doc/Wash-"I'll help you study."

Doc walked out of his last class on the verge of tears. The teacher handed back their tests from the week before and as if his low grades weren’t enough to bring down his mood, the note attached didn’t help at all. 

_You need at least a 90 on the next test to pass the class. You can do it, Frank! ___The note read. Doc appreciated the teacher’s word of encouragement, but history was his worst subject. His 72% test average isn’t going to be magically fixed by the end of the week.

He doesn’t even know why history is such an important class for him to take. Yes, he needs the credit to graduate, but why would an aspiring nurse need to know history if it isn’t about medicine? He already has an internship and job lined up for when he finally graduates and goes into college. He has been volunteering enough at the local children’s hospital that the head nurse has already promised him a position after he receives his degree. Life is just about set for Doc. 

Regardless of the frustration he feels towards his history class, he still shoves all his history assignments and books from his locker into his bag. Maybe he could find it in himself to study longer than thirty minutes tonight. Normally, his time for studying would be cut short, whether it be going out on dates with Wash or just lots of homework. Either way, he didn’t always have time for studying. 

He slams his locker shut, ignoring the stares from his small group of friends next to him, and walks away with a small wave. Doc walks out of the school with his bag hanging off his shoulder. He looks around the parking lot for Wash’s car, it’s normally in the line with the other student’s parents, but if sometimes he will park and go talk to the football coach. 

Wash was in football up until last year when he graduated. His position on the team was actually how he met Doc. When he was a sophomore he played as wide receiver on the varsity team, Doc moved into the school district quarter way through the season and joined the Athletic Trainers group. As Wash was the only one on the team that wasn’t assigned a trainer just for himself, they assigned him Doc. They spent more and more time together as the season started and then ended, and by the beginning of Wash’s junior year they were dating. 

When he finally spotted Wash’s car, he nearly ran towards it. He was more than ready to go home. 

“Hey, how was school today?” Wash asks once Doc is buckled up and they are driving through the crowded parking lot. Wash waves at a few people as he drives through. 

“It was alright, except for the fact that I’m going to fail history.” Doc said as if it didn’t bother him. 

“That was the _only_ class I had a super high grade in! Why didn’t you ever ask for help?” 

“You’ve been busy looking at colleges and I thought I would be able to fix it on my own.” 

“I’ll help you study.” 

“I need a 90 on my next test or I’ll fail the course.” Doc said. 

“Doesn’t matter.” Wash shakes his head. “I’m going to help you.” 

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. Now tell me what you know about World War One.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm so sorry that I haven't posted much the past few weeks! But I do start school at a new school next Monday (and I've already had a lot of problems posting because of band camp), so it's possible I'll have even less updates. I'll still take requests and everything like normal, just things might come out later than expected. Again, I'm really sorry, but I'm still going to post as much as I can!


	66. Donut/Doc- "You didn't have to ask."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to put the warning tag things in this because they obviously don't apply to the whole book or even most of it. The next three chapters is sort of a series but they can be read alone so if you don't like one of the three ships, you aren't missing anything. Anyway, in the next three chapters there are mentions of:   
> school shootings, guns, violence, death, etc.

The school has a system for lock-downs. Every student has gone through it at least once, but the drill is etched into your mind the second you start school:

When the announcement of a lock-down comes on, the school is silent. All classroom lights are shut off, the doors are locked, there are no students to be found. And then there is an announcement allowing everyone to resume class and the drill is over. 

But they don’t tell you that when there is actually a reason for a lock-down, nothing happens like that.

Donut found out about this the hard way. 

It was two weeks after the school play had debuted. His theatre class has become a study hall until the teacher could find the next big idea for a high school play. Donut was sitting in the middle of the auditorium with Doc while they did homework from the night before. Doc always insisted they should do it during first period theatre because “what’s the point of having first period study hall if you don’t use it to get the previous night free of homework?” 

The auditorium was silent. If the students weren’t doing homework, they were sleeping or off in another part of the school. It was peaceful, unlike the crowded hallways they fought through to get there. There was no yelling, shoes hitting the tiles, or teachers reprimanding different students. It was just the theatre students, and even though they can be over dramatic at times, they are the most laid-back students in school. They are so used to having to go with the flow of things on stage that their off-stage personalities are practically the same. 

But that didn’t apply when they heard gunshots. The teacher ran out of the office to the panicking students and tried to calm them down. He was ordering students to hide between the seats and stay silent while he locked the doors. 

Doc dragged Donut down to the stage and opened the small hidden door at the bottom of it. It was used for storage and the door was only visible if you knew it was there- it was the best place he could think to hide. 

He pushed Donut through the door and followed behind him. They heard another gunshot and Donut curled into himself. He was crying and holding onto his knees so tight his knuckles were white. Doc sat between him and the door, acting as a barrier between anything opening the door and Donut. He wasn’t sure if they would make it out alive, but he did know he would keep Donut safe as long as he could. 

“Doc?” He whispered.

“Sh, we need to be quiet. Nobody is going to find us if we stay quiet.” 

“But-” 

“Donut please, I need you to stay quiet.” Doc begged. 

The doors to the auditorium ripped open and Doc could hear students screaming. Donut started to cry louder as he heard a gunshot inside the auditorium and a rough voice demand every to be quiet. Doc waved Donut closer to the door where he was holding it shut. Donut slowly inched over to him and sat into his side. 

“Can you please stop crying? I know you’re scared, I am too, but you need to stop. If he hears us, he will kill us. I’m sorry, but please stop.” Doc whispered into his ear frantically. Donut nodded and bit his fist while taking deep breaths. 

The yelling continued without anymore gunshots. It’s been too long since the first gunshot without help, Doc knows whoever was shot is likely dead. It’s an indescribable feeling- knowing that one of your peers was dead. They were only teenagers, they view themselves as indestructible. Doc’s friends are always doing reckless things and they are never injured, yet when someone else is reckless it causes death. 

He didn’t like it. 

Why did this man have to their school? The school was so low on everyone’s radar that you wouldn’t know much about it if you didn’t live in the town. They weren’t good at football, they didn’t win any competitions, and they certainly haven’t set any records- it was an ordinary school. The only people that could have a grudge with the school would be someone who has gone to the school. But even then, who cares after that? 

Doc didn’t know the answer and he would prefer it stay that way. 

“Are you okay?” Donut asked. 

“No, there is a person with a gun standing directly above us. “ Doc sighed. He was stressed out, he doesn’t mean to take it out on Donut. “Are you?” 

“No.” 

“Just think about how you’ll feel when we are back home. You’ll be with your moms and everything will be better.” 

“You’ll be with me too, right?” 

“Of course.” 

Another gunshot, another scream, and another door slams. 

The shooter was gone, but another student- friend- is going to die. 

“Should we go back out?” 

“We aren’t leaving until someone tells us it’s safe. I’m not risking anything.” 

They sat under the stage for an hour silently before the auditorium doors opened again. They tensed and waited for the worst. 

“We need all the uninjured students to follow us out of the building. Please line up in front of us.” 

“We are going to go out, okay? This woman is going to bring us out of the school.” Donut nods as he pushes the stage door open. He squints his eyes as he adjusts to the brightness. Regardless of the stares everyone is giving them, he grabs Donut’s hand and lines up in front of the woman with everyone else. 

All of his peers look like they haven’t slept in a week. He doesn’t blame them, he probably looks the same. 

“Don’t leave this line no matter what. Do not go to your lockers and do not go to another class to check on someone. Everyone is being evacuated from the school right now. When we leave the school, do not run to your parent’s car or your car, wait until you are dismissed.” 

They walk through the line and out the front doors of the school. They can see the other lines that their friends are in. Caboose is crying on Church’s shoulder while Tex keeps a firm grip on both of their arms protectively, Tucker is on his phone- presumably talking to his mother about his newborn son, and Grif and Simmons are attached at the hip and don’t look like they are ever going to let go. 

After being checked off on a list and dismissed, the look around the parking lot. There are more parents here than ever, they are all outside their car looking around for their children. Doc feels awful knowing some of them will have to drive home with an empty car. 

“Donut! Doc!” Donut’s moms call out to them. They run towards the black suv and tackle the women into hugs. Doc holds onto Donut’s mother as if she was his own, he knew his foster parents wouldn’t want to come get him. Donut’s moms have always been there for him when his foster parents weren’t. 

“We’re so glad you’re okay.” All four of them stand on the sidewalk by the line of cars crying. The two mothers comfort each of them, assuring them everything is okay now and they are safe. They all get into the car and start the drive out of the parking lot once they are somewhat better. 

“Can I go to your house?” 

“You didn’t even have to ask.”


	67. "Stay over."

“Felix, we’re here,” Locus said softly. “Hey, we are at your house.” 

“Stay o-over.” Felix stuttered. 

“What?” 

“Please stay. I don’t want to be alone.” Locus nodded and parked the car in the driveway. He got out of the car and walked over to Felix’s side of the car to open the door for him. He can’t help but to think that he wouldn’t be this nice if today’s events hadn’t happened. 

Since being dismissed from the school after the shooter was arrested, Locus offered to drive Felix home because his mother couldn’t get the day off. Locus couldn’t think of leaving Felix alone after today. 

They were in art class when the first shot went off. It sounded like it was on the other side of the school, but Locus wasn’t taking any chances. He opened the art cupboard behind the table he was working at and shoved himself and Felix in it. He could hear the other students doing the same thing around the room. 

Felix was shaking the entire time. If Locus wasn’t so scared himself, he would have been laughing. Felix, the one who claims to be scared of nothing finally found something that shook him to the bone. But this situation can and will scare everyone. 

The more gunshots that went off, the more scarier it became. Though neither of them would want to admit it, they were each extremely grateful to have the other to be stuck in a closet with. Neither would want to face death alone. 

It made Locus think of what he would consider their friendship. Were they just friends? Acquaintances? Best friends? He would consider them too close to be considered any of the above. Most people thought they were dating and he can’t say he can blame them, they act the parts really well. 

Regardless of their friendship status, Locus could leave Felix alone when he sounded so desperate for company. In all honesty, Locus didn’t want to be alone either. Sitting on the couch with Felix curled up into his side while they watch a random movie on the television sounds like the best thing ever right now. 

And that’s what they do. Locus sits in the corner of the sectional couch and Felix makes himself comfortable against him almost immediately. Locus wraps his right arm around Felix’s hip and Felix holds onto his hand tightly. 

They say there until Felix heard the front door opening. He ran towards the door and nearly jumped into his mother’s arms. She dropped her purse and any other bags she had to hold onto Felix just as tight. 

“I’m so sorry, Mama. I shouldn’t have yelled at you yesterday, you were just trying to help.” He cried into his mother’s neck. Locus can’t help but think that if it was any other day Felix would be pushing his mother away while he yelled that he wasn’t a kid anymore. Despite not ever admitting it, Locus knew that Felix loved the love his mother gave him. It was sweet to see the pair interact without any problems. 

“Locus, dear, are you okay? Have you talked to your parents?” Felix’s mom unwrapped one of her arms from around her son to put a hand on Locus’ shoulder. She cared for Locus like a second son, and he appreciates it more now than ever. 

Locus moved out of his parents’ house when he turned sixteen. He moved in with his aunt for a year before she helped him by his current apartment. It wasn’t the nicest, but it also wasn’t the worst and that’s what counts. But neither him nor Felix told Felix’s mom this. She think he still lives with his aunt so that Felix would be allowed to come over because there would be an adult in the house to make sure they didn’t do anything reckless. 

“Yes, they said I could stay over with Felix tonight if he wanted. And I’m okay, thank you for asking.” 

“You’re always welcome in my house.” 

~

Later that night while Locus was lying in bed with Felix- a feeling they are both awfully used to- the silence finally became too much for Felix. He wasn’t the type of person to stay quiet, he created noise just to hear something. So he broke the silence as he lied against Locus’ chest. 

“Thank you for helping me today.” 

Locus was taken back for a second. Felix doesn’t say ‘thank you’ often, or at least not to Locus. Maybe it’s because he knows Locus would give him the world without a second thought. Or maybe it’s because he shows it in the little things he does. Either way, Locus doesn’t actually _hear_ it often. 

“I know, this isn’t like me.” Felix laughs bitterly.

“I was just so scared earlier today. I’ve heard a gun go off so many times, but never in a threatening way. Never in a way that endangered my life. I froze, I couldn’t think of what to do. My mind drew a blank and I just sat there.” 

He turns around and Locus can see the tears rolling down his cheeks. He thinks of wiping them away from his eyes, but Felix beats him to it. He rubs his fists in his eyes before continuing. 

“But you actually picked me up and stuffed me in that damn closet. The shooter didn’t even come in our room, but at every gunshot you put yourself in front of way. You were preparing to get shot for me, Locus. _Shot._ All while I stood there and just held onto your back refusing to let go because I was so scared.” 

“I would do that in any situation. You’re important to me, even if you don’t realize it.” 

“But I do realize it! And you’re important to me too, I swear!” 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to get loud about it, I know.” 

“Just know I’m glad I met you. And we are never talking about this.” Felix rolled back around and pressed his back up to Locus again. 

“Of course.” Locus gently kissed the back of Felix’s neck before turning off the lights to go to sleep.


	68. "I made your favorite meal."

Grif would have woken up like any other morning. He wakes up at eight instead of seven, he didn’t have to be at school until second hour started anyway, then he cooked breakfast, woke up Kai, ate, and then he gets dressed for school. 

Except today he didn’t do any of that. 

He rolled out of bed at eleven on a Wednesday. He briefly panicked about missing his classes, he is a straight A- AP student, he has never missed a class unless it was an emergency. But there wouldn’t be school for the rest of the week- possibly two, he wasn’t sure what procedures the school takes after a shooting. 

Nothing has ever been convenient to Grif, because convenient for him meant never happening. But a school shooting while in gym class was a new level of inconvenience. He had finally convinced Simmons to skip gym class with him. They sat under the bleachers while the coach herded the students outside to run a mile on the track. Simmons heard the first shot, it was on the other side of the school from the sounds of it, but his anxiety was always looking for something. 

_“I think that was a gun.”_

_“You’re crazy.” Grif dismissed Simmons statement._

_“No, I’m serious. That was a gun, we need to hide.”_

_“We’re already hiding.”_

_“Just get in the corner farthest from the door.” ___

_They crawled over to where the bleachers and the wall meet. Grif sat casually in the corner while Simmons listened for anything else to prove his theory. When he heard the next to gunshots, he joined Grif in the corner._

_The first thing he noticed when Simmons joined him was the way Simmons was breathing. It was staggered and his eyes were watering up. He was going to have a panic attack and Grif couldn’t let that happen._

__“Simmons? Simmons, calm down. Nothing’s gonna happen to us. We’re all the way on this side of the school. The police will be here and catch this guy before he gets anywhere near us.”_ _

_Looking back, he could have been more sympathetic. Simmons is important to him, the least he could do was stop being a sarcastic asshole for one second to help Simmons calm down. The most he did was hold Simmons’ hands while talking to him because the more he talked the less Simmons panicked. If Grif had to guess it was because him talking distracted Simmons from whatever was happening on the other side of the school, but he didn’t stop talking until the gym doors opened._

__”Are there any students in here?” Neither of them dared moved._ _

__“My name is Daniel, I’m with the police. We are here to take everyone out of the building.”_ _

_Simmons tried to run out from under the bleachers, but Grif had held him back. They waited until the officer came to where they were hiding to look for students and showed them his badge. Grif let out a sigh and let Simmons go and then followed him out._

_The officer led them through the school, telling them to stay behind him no matter what happens. They both had their doubts as they were lead to where they heard the gunshots coming from, but Daniel tried his hardest to assure them everything was okay and that they were just trying to get all the students out the same doors._

_Simmons reluctantly got in his dad’s car to go home. He normally got a ride home from Grif everyday because his dad isn’t the most trustworthy person, but his mom would have killed him if he didn’t go home with his dad. Grif drove himself to the middle school to pick up Kai. He wasn’t even sure if the other schools were being dismissed early, but he was taking her home either way._

_But he couldn’t get her to stay home long enough it seemed, because as he walked into her room to see what she wanted for breakfast today, she was gone. He wasn’t sure if he went to school today or if she went to a friends house. He wouldn’t blame her, nothing in her life was interrupted. She just got a half day at school, she wasn’t fearing for her life in the place she was promised to be safe._

_Maybe he could just call Simmons over for breakfast. They were dealing with the same problems, they wouldn’t talk about said problems, but sitting in silence with a friend is better than sitting in silence alone._

_He called Simmons before he changed his mind._

_“Hello?”_

_“Hey do you want to come over for breakfast? I cooked your favorite meal.”_

_“You don’t know my favorite meal.” Simmons rebuttled._

_“Yes, I do. In fact, I’m offended you would even suggest I don’t.”_

_“Okay, then what is it?”_

_“It was chicken alfredo, but now it’s waffles because that’s what I made for breakfast. Now, should I be expecting you?” Grif smirked because he knew he was right._

_“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Simmons muttered and hung up._


	69. Church/Tucker- "I bought you a ticket."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Jake_Strider who asked for domestic chucker featuring small Church

The ride back to Earth was tense for everyone. They each had their own reasons for not wanting to go back, but Church was worried more than anyone else. He had made it through the battle with Hargrove, but now he was faced with a more difficult task. 

He was going home with Tucker to see Junior. 

Church and Tucker had started dating the months between leaving the Epsilon unit and leaving with Carolina on Chorus. It was three month before Junior was brought up. Tucker didn’t bring his son up often- it always brought up a wave of sadness. Washington asked about Junior once over breakfast and no one but Church saw Tucker again until the following week. It’s safe to say no one brought him up after that. 

However, as soon as Tucker found out they would be allowed to go home, he was already on the phone with Kai asking when Junior was going to be out of school. Church stayed out of it, he felt eternally guilty for what he said to and about Junior when he was born. He has apologized to Tucker countless times who has relayed the message to junior, but he still felt bad about it. 

He has lived through enough situations where he should have died that nothing should scare him anymore. Yet here he was freaking out on a pelican to Hawaii where Junior was currently staying. 

“You need to calm down.” Tucker said. 

"Don’t tell me what to do.” 

“Then stop thinking inside my head.” 

“Well it’s you or Grif, but he is upset over Simmons not going with him, so it looks like it’s you.” 

“I don’t know why you’re so nervous.” Tucker shrugged. “It’s just Junior. He never even knew you said anything until you had me tell him you were sorry. Even then, he didn’t care!” 

“I still feel bad.” Church muttered. 

“Well get over it because we’re going his basketball game as soon as we land. Full armor and AI and everything. I bought you a ticket to go too, so you have to.” 

“You do realize that I could get in for free. Nobody would know I’m with you.” 

“I’m a good person.” Tucker rolled his eyes and didn’t continue the conversation. 

When they got off the pelican, they were immediately one their way to Junior’s basketball game. Tucker had the tickets clutched in his hand and he wasn’t going to let go for the world. Ever since Kai sent him a picture of Junior with his basketball team, he has wanted to be at the games. Kai goes in his place to cheer for Junior, but it’s not the same. 

“Now you’re the one that needs to calm down.” Church’s holograph popped up in front of Tucker’s face. He had taken the helmet off when they left the airport because people were staring enough as it is. 

“Shut up, you’re not helping.” 

The driver stopped the car in front of the school. Tucker didn’t really know what to expect, he hasn’t been in a non-military setting in years, but the crowd of people staring and whispering as they saw him wasn’t accounted for. 

“Who is he? Why is he in armor?”   
“Is he one of those blues that were on the news about Chorus?”   
“Why would he be here?” 

And his personal favorite: 

“Is he one of the rogue Freelancers?” 

Tucker couldn’t help but laugh as the woman said that. 

“No, those guys were assholes.” He continued laughing. Church popped up on his shoulder, effectively scaring the group of parents crowding around them. They all took a step back except for one person who thought it was appropriate to wave their hand through him. 

“That was uncalled for.” 

“What are you?” 

“Not what- who. I’m Church, but some refer to me as Epsilon.” 

“You’re one of the reds and blues, aren’t you?” 

“Yes.” Tucker said. “Now, if you excuse me I have to go get my seats for the basketball game.” 

Tucker pushed through the crowd of overly excited adults and entered the school. He followed the signs leading to the entrance of the gym and waited outside the doors for them to be opened. He could see Junior and the rest of the team practicing through the window, he was even more excited to see the game. 

Thirty minutes later the parents were back inside and everyone was sitting in the bleachers waiting for the team to run onto the court. Junior still had no idea Tucker was at the game, but it wouldn’t be hard to spot him out. Most of the parents had figured out that Junior was Tucker’s son and have calmed down for the most part. 

“Do you think they’re going to win?” Church asked. He was “sitting” in the seat next to him, but it was more of an excuse to keep his helmet anywhere but his lap. Church was sitting on top of it without a care of what the family next to them were saying about needing the seat. 

“They better. I didn’t come here in full armor for nothing.” 

“You didn’t have to come in full armor. We had thirty minutes where Kai repeatedly offered to come get your armor and drop off regular clothes.” 

“Then you’d look out of place.” Tucker argued. He knew Church was right but he couldn’t let him have the satisfaction of winning. 

“You-” 

“Shut up, they’re about to come out!” Tucker waved his hand in front of Church to quiet him. 

The team was announced as they ran onto the court with smiles on their faces. They all looked up to find their parents in the crowd except for Junior. Kai had mentioned that she told him she wouldn’t be able to make it in and attempt to make the surprise even better, but now he wasn’t even looking in the bleachers. 

“What do we do?” 

“Yell until he notices us.” 

“Junior! Junior over here!” They screamed his name over and over again. The coach had taken noticed of the two men screaming and tried to point Junior over to them, but he was still refusing to look. 

“Lavernius, would you please pay attention!” Tucker yelled. “Look at the work I go through for this kid.” He said to Church. 

“I’m just going to go talk to him.” Church glitched out in front of Tucker and was in front of Junior in less than a second. 

“Hey.” 

“Wha- who are you?” 

“Hey, you learned English! Good job, buddy. I’m Church, you might not remember me. We met when you were born.” 

“Church? Of course I remember you, but why are you here? Where is my dad?” 

“He has been trying to get your attention since you came out. He’s over there.” Church pointed to the bleachers where Tucker is waving his arms obnoxiously. 

“Dad!” Junior ran over to the edge of the bleachers and Tucker met him at the bottom. 

“Junior! I missed you so much!” 

“I can’t believe you’re here! Kai said you wouldn’t be home for another few months.” Junior hugs Tucker, lifting him off the ground. Church laughs but finds the entire scene adorable. 

“I’m going to drag him back to our seats, the game is about to start.”

Junior waves and they sit back down in their seats, ignoring the parents that just won’t leave them alone. 

The last few minutes of the game and Church swears Tucker is a different person. He has been screaming the entire time. It was so different to see Tucker in a family situation rather than a war. In Blood Gulch he never raised his voice unless something was going terribly wrong and nobody was dealing with it. And in those situations, it was always a few minutes before he gave up on someone fixing the problem and he would just go back into his room. But now he is screaming at a team of children playing basketball. 

“Don’t look at me! Look at the ball!” Tucker yelled when Junior looked over after throwing the ball at the hoop. 

“You’re too into this.” 

“That’s not true, I just want my son to win.” 

“He just did.” Church gestured to the scoreboard which displayed zero seconds left and the score in Junior team’s favor. The families all ran towards their kids on the court who were cheering. 

“I’m proud of you little man.” Church said. 

“I should be calling you little man. You’re 8 inches tall and I’m 8 feet.” 

“We’re both proud of you, Junior.”


	70. North/York/Wash- "You're warm."

_The last 48 hours were stuck on repeat in Wash’s head. He couldn't stop shaking and crying, and York was having trouble holding him together._

_“Wash, please, you need to be quiet.” He begged. “I know you're upset, but there are more guards looking around. If they hear you, they'll find us and take us back to the MOI.”_

_York held Wash against his chest and covered his mouth. He understood why Wash was upset because frankly, he was too. As soon as the MOI crashed York was pulling Wash out of his hospital bed to go find North._

_They walked into the room all other of them shared and North was putting on armor and gathering his weapons. York was putting Wash in his armor because he still wasn't functioning completely after Epsilon._

_Everything was going according to plan, everything was going smoothly. Wash was in his armor with at least a pistol in case they were separated, York had his weapons and Delta, and North had everything he needed. It didn't seem odd when North took off his helmet to kiss Wash and Yorks’ helmets._

_And then he just walked out. York stood in the doorway yelling as loud as he dared with the ship on such high security, but North ignored him._

_York wasn't sure what happened to him until they ran into him and South while trying to escape. York was carrying Wash on his back running as fast as he could while South and North sprinted by without sparing him a glance._

_He was glad Wash couldn't stay awake to see that, but he angry that he had to be the one to explain when he woke up._

_And this is where Wash’s breakdown comes into play. He has been crying for almost two hours and York can't get him to stop. They had to take refuge behind a cluster of rock at the bottom of a cliff and guards have been walking around since the crash looking for survivors. From what he knows, all of his friends made it out alive, except for CT and Maine. He isn't dead, but he might as well be from what they know._

_“Wash, you're warm, are you sick? Wash please answer me, I'm trying to help.”_

_“I d-don’t know.” He shivers. They were sitting in a snow bank but their suits should be keeping them warm._

_“Do you want to go back to sleep?”_

_“I miss him, Y-York.” Wash looked up at him._

_“I know you do, I do too. But he chose South. We’ll be better off without him; this just shows that he would've left eventually.”_

_“N-No he wouldn't.”_

_“Well South needs him more than we do right now.” York said. “If he still wants us when this is over, he'll come back. He will find us.”_

Wash woke up covered in sweat. He hasn't dreamt of that moment in years.

Once he saw York die, he gave up on everything. He didn't bother hiding anymore and was dragged back to the Director almost instantly. While working as a recovery agent he came across North and was forced to not only take Theta but kill him. 

It was torture to confront North again. The last time they spoke he was under sedatives and wasn't completely aware of his surroundings. 

North tried to talk him out of it, saying that South left him and that he was looking for Wash. Claims he sent out the beacon with Theta to show Wash he was still alive, but Wash didn't care. He screamed at York for an embarrassingly long time. He was angry about everything and needed someone to take it out on- and who better than the person that walked out when he needed them the most? 

It ended with North’s armor going to the Director and Theta going to the Meta. Wash would be lying if he said he didn't cry as North walked away in only a Kevlar suit to go back to wherever he was from. He told the Director he was dead and that he could only recover Theta and the armor, no evidence of North’s death. 

But now he was on Chorus and he couldn't think about it. York was dead, North was on a different planet living his life, and Wash was on Chorus with his friends. Wash was finally at peace- or as much peace as he could be- with his life. He had friends that would stick with him through death, he had his own team, and nobody gave him a hard time ever. 

And if North wanted to find him again, he would come back.


	71. 71. "No reason."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for how long this took, I'm hoping to get back into writing not that I have some-what more time! 
> 
> Anyway, I wrote this for sugarshay who said there could be a part two of the fake marriage bitlomo I wrote a while back. I liked the au so I tried to continue writing it!

In any other circumstance, Palomo wouldn't be so relieved as his parents walked out the door. But now that he could stop bothering Bitters, he was counting the days until they left. 

He wanted to stay with Bitters, this week has been on of the best weeks of his life. It was great to spend the entire week with a friend he hasn't seen in who knows how long, but Bitters wouldn't feel the same way. Ever since Palomo move in, he has been waiting for him to leave. He lived in a comfortable routine that was disrupted the second Palomo called him. 

Palomo was trying to help him fix the routine. He decided to stay awake after his parents left at almost 4 in the morning so he could clean up and then leave as if he was never there. 

And it was going smoothly. He had all the dishes done, all garbage that was left out the night before was thrown away, and he swept all the floors. He put new food and new water in Ash’s food dishes before quietly walking into the bedroom and grabbing his bag. He put his clothes from the closet into it, and if he slipped in one of Bitters’ shirts just for and excuse to talk later, who was going to say anything? 

He walked of the room and the apartment. With one last look at his home from the last week, he started walking back to his apartment. 

The first thing Palomo notices when he gets home is the feeling of being home is gone. No one else was here and no one would show up. It was just him and his belongings. 

He briefly wonders if Bitters will feel the same when he wakes up. 

Palomo sat on the small couch that seemed to big with just him on it. He wishes he never left Bitters’ home. 

~

After nearly six hours of Palomo falling asleep and waking back up for no reason, his phone starts going off. 

Bitters: Where'd you go?   
Bitters: I noticed you cleaned the house, it'd be even better if you were still in the house   
Bitters: seriously, where are you? I'm worried 

The messages stopped as Bitters called him. 

“Hello?” 

“Don't ‘hello’ me. Where are you?” 

“I went home.” Palomo answers. He is just as confused as Bitters. Why would Bitters care? 

“Are you coming back?” 

“I wasn't going to, why?”

Bitters sighs, “No reason.” 

Bitters hangs up without saying anything else. Palomo tries not to think about how upset Bitters sounded after Palomo told him he went home. He thinks of calling Bitters back, but it didn’t sound like he was interested in conversation at the moment. He twists the ring around his finger while thinking. He could just go back to Bitters house, bring a nice dinner or something nice. Ask if he wants to hang out more often. 

He takes his ring off, setting it down on the counter. He goes to his bedroom where he proceeds to turn on the television to take his mind of things. 

Maybe he could talk to Bitters later.


	72. Wash/Church- "I'll meet you half way."

“I wonder if they know.” Wash whispers to Church. They were in the Sunday school classes both of their parents enforced. 

“Know what?” Church turned around on his spot on the floor. They were seventeen- just young enough to still be in the kids’ class instead of the adults- but they were still expected to sit on the small rug with the kids. 

“Ya know,” he gestures with his hands between the two. “About us?” 

“You’re so awkward.” He smiles while rolling his eyes. “But no, I don’t think they know. My parents would flip shit and I’m sure yours would do far worse.” 

“What if they do find out?” 

“Then we’ll deal with it when we get there, but we aren’t there right now so we don’t have to worry. Calm down.” He glances around the nearly empty room to make sure noone is looking at them before he quickly kisses Wash’s cheek. Wash gasps and his face reddens as a few people look at him. 

“Is there a problem David?” Wash shakes his head and looks down. 

“What about you Leonard?” The teacher turns to him. 

“Other than the fact that you still call me Leonard, no.” 

“Will you behave?” Wash scoffs and slaps his shoulder. “You don’t need to stick out as a problem child before ever coming out and becoming a _serious_ problem child.” 

“You make it sound like the gay part of me is the problem.” Church laughs momentarily. 

“According to everyone in this room it is.” 

“But I don’t care what anyone in this room thinks but you.” 

“You’re such a sap.” Wash rolls his eyes, his anxiety from moments ago leaving his mind. 

“Only for you.” 

Their conversation ended there as the preacher stood up and started the lesson. 

It was two long hours before they were released from the room and allowed to go back to their parents. Or in Wash and Church’s case, go back to Church’s car. Their parents always left once Sunday school started, leaving Church to drop off Wash and then go to his own home. 

The amount of times Church has tried to skip is countless, the only reason he is going is his mother’s ability to look at the attendance list. It wasn’t her Church was scared of though, it was his father. That man would beat him senseless if he found out his son wasn’t following the word of God. 

“Do you want to go to the lake tonight?” Wash asks when he sits down in the passenger seat of the beat up car. 

“Of course, I’ll meet you halfway.” It was a promise Church always said to Wash. He would walk past the lake and meet up with Wash wherever he happened to be walking when Church saw him. It was always less than halfway from Wash’s house the lake, but it was still what Church said. 

“The usual time?” 

“You ask a lot of questions for someone who knows the answer to all of them.” Church said as he pulled out of the parking lot. He held onto Wash’s hand with his right hand, keeping his left on the steering wheel. 

“Alright well this is your stop Mr. Washington.” Church said when he slowed down at the corner of Wash’s street. This is where Wahs insisted on being dropped off, Church has no idea why, it’s not like Wash has anything to hide. Church has been to his house multiple times, being in a closeted relationship has it’s perks- such as sleepovers without questions. 

“I’ll see you later?” 

“Later.” Church kissed Wash and waved as he stepped out of the car. 

He drove himself home to where he could hopefully avoid his parents with the excuse of homework. It was part of his weekend routine. Every Saturday he tells his parents some excuse to get out of the house. On Sundays he would go to Church, sit with the teens in the back with Wash where they could hold hands all they wanted because none of the teenagers payed attention to anything but their phones, then it was Sunday school, and then it was hours of homework that needed to be done before seeing Wash later that night. 

He gets home within fifteen minutes and heads up to his room without acknowledging his parents who were sitting at the kitchen table. He isn’t sure what they are talking about, but he doesn’t want to bother with whatever opinion they are going to force on him this time. 

Once in his room he pulls his backpack out from under his desk and takes out various books and papers out to start his homework. The work was easy, he chose to stay in the regular classes instead of the advanced courses because he wasn’t interested in the loads of work and his friends were in the standard classes. Wash stayed in advanced classes for English and History, but stayed behind in Math and Science to stay in classes with Church. 

An hour into his homework, his phone started buzzing on the corner of his bed. He chose to ignore it but when it continued to buzz, his curiousity got the best of him and he looked over. When he saw it was Wash he wasted no time in answering. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” 

“Can you meet me at the lake now?” Wash asked. “I’m already here so there isn’t a use in meeting me anywhere.” 

“Yeah I guess, is everything alright?” Church put on his shoes and grabbed his car keys. 

“Sort of.” 

“I'll be right there.” Church said as he walked out his bedroom door. His parents were still sitting at the kitchen table and his mother looked at him from the corner of her eye as he walked out the door. At any other time he would stop to ask why she was looking at him in such a way, but he was preoccupied. 

The drive to the lake was short-it always was- but the small trail to get to their normal spot felt like an eternity until he reached the end. When they first met, they wanted to have a place just to themselves so they chose to create a path towards a more secluded patroon of the lake. It was a path the never went straight and if you didn't know where you were going it would take twenty minutes to reach the end. Luckily, he knew the path. 

“Wash?” Church called when he reached the end of the path. Wash was sitting away from him in the mud at the edge of the lake. His blond hair was sticking up in every direction and he was occasionally running his hand through it. 

When he didn't answer, Church took it upon himself to sit down in the mud next to him. He didn't care about his clothes, he could find and excuse for that later. 

“Wash, what's wrong?” 

“Carolina wants to tell your parents because she follows the rules and doesn't like us.” Wash spoke quickly. 

“Okay.” 

“Okay? How can you just say okay? Our parents will kill us!” 

“So? I think it'd be better for us to be out. I mean, sure it'll be difficult at first, but it'll be better in the long run. My parents will get over it much sooner than yours, so if it comes to it you can stay with me. And if worse comes to worst, I'll just live in my car.” Church laughed softly. “It's almost like Carolina would be doing us a favor.” 

“But-” 

“No, it'll be okay.” Church wraps his arm around Wash’s shoulders. They relax into each other and stare at the lake in front of them.


	73. North/York- "I couldn't just leave you there."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I posted this on my phone, so if it seems like anything is missing please tell me so I can fix it!

North wants to say he noticed it in middle school. He noticed that during the designated reading time -that nobody but himself spent actually reading- he could see York and Carolina in the corner of the room. He could see how York was infatuated with her, the boy would do anything for her if she asked. But he also saw the way Carolina wasn't interested. 

And he noticed how that lack of interest turned into hatred that then morphed into the relationship they are in now. 

High school was rough for York. North would know, he was York’s shoulder to cry on. Why York never moved on from Carolina was a mystery to him. Maybe it's because after three years of him following her around like a lost poppy she realized she could use this to her advantage. 

It started with small things at first. She would ask him to drive her places or to buy her lunch for her because she somehow forgot her wallet for the third day in a row. 

It became more serious when they got in a car crash during their senior year of high school. They were on their way home from a concert Carolina insisted they go to. They were both tired and another, equally tired concert attendee fell asleep while driving and ran a red light. 

York lost his left eye and was left with a large scar on the side of his face from the windshield glass. Carolina went uninjured but spent the two years following convincing York it was his fault. He was miserable, between missing his eye and the misery Carolina was now putting him through. 

North tried to convince him that they needed to break up but York said that he loved Carolina and she loved him. Everyone knew the relationship wasn't healthy for either of them except for themselves. 

When the yelling turned into hitting, North took more of a stand. He told teachers and parents and really anyone that would listen. Each person asked York if he was okay or if he needed help and York always denied the claims. He said that he had no idea what they were talking about because Carolina would never hit him. 

Once they reached college York started to realize everything was wrong. He came to North first. It was the middle of the day, North should have been at his English class, but sometimes your just need a day off. However when he answered the door to his best friend crying, he knew he wasn't going to have much of a free day. 

York sat down on the small couch and told North how he couldn't keep living with Carolina. He spilled everything about how he genuinely loved her until the accident but he didn't know how to break up with her after that. 

A few hours after that Carolina came over and pulled York out of the apartment while he cried apologies to her for leaving. North was heartbroken for his best friend, he has never seen York so upset and scared. 

And now North was going to go help York get out of there. He talked to Wash, South, Maine, and most importantly, Church. He had never spoken to Church considering he was two grades ahead of Carolina’s younger brother, but if anyone could help them get into Carolina’s mind, it'd be Church. 

“Okay so you guys know what we're doing right? This isn't a show, we are getting York and then leaving. We only have to talk to her if she puts up a fight.” Wash turned around in the front seat to ask everyone. 

North’s car may have been small but it served its purpose. There isn't a seat for York currently but Church planned to stay with Carolina, meaning Wash was going to take his spot in the back to give York more space on the front seat. The scene in the back of the car was enough to pull a small laugh out of North. Maine, who was by far the biggest person in the car, was sitting in the middle grumbling about how he doesn't deserve that kind of torture. South was by the window trying to push Maine away from her, but was failing miserably. And poor Church who didn't even know these people was attempting to hide himself by pressing into the door as much as he could. 

“Yes we know the plan.” South rolled her eyes. North doesn't blame her, Wash was constantly affirming the plan and it could get annoying at times. 

“Okay, cool. North, onwards.” He turned back around and pointed in the direction they were going. Maine mumbled something in the backseat and Wash shot him a quick glare before turning back around. 

In only a few minutes they were sitting in front of Carolina’s apartment. They all sat in the car for a few minutes listening to the radio thinking of what they were about to face. 

North was preparing himself for the worst. He imagine York would be covered in blood and maybe even barely conscious. The rational side of him knew that wouldn't he the case though. Carolina has never left proof of her hitting him outside of what his clothes cover, he would be bruised and very upset, but not in critical condition. 

“And everyone remembers-”

“Shut up Wash, yes we remember. Oh my god, let's just go.” South got out of the car and everyone did afterwards. 

The elevator ride was uncomfortably silent, nobody had anything to say and it only worsened the situation in North’s mind. He was used to the chatter his friends always took part in, the silence was unsettling. 

When they got off the elevator they could already hear glass breaking. When they were in front of their apartment the sound was more intense. When they walked in, part of North’s mind told him to run far away and not to return. 

It was a mess. There was broken glass covering the floor and in the middle of it all was York sitting with his hands over his face to avoid getting hit. He was on the couch, slowly trying to move away from Carolina who was in the kitchen pulling more and more glassware to throw. 

“I love you and you repay me by trying to leave? What happened to the York I knew in high school? He would never do this to me!” She screamed. 

“I'm sorry! Please stop!” 

Surprisingly, Church was the first one to make their presence known. He cleared his threat loud enough to grab Carolina’s attention from York for a moment. She stared at her younger brother with wide eyes as he walked over the glass and towards her. North took two long steps to the couch to help York up. 

Carolina noticed and started yelling again. Church told her to stop but she waved him off to insist they couldn't take York, this was his apartment. Church continued to take her attention in fragments while Maine, Wash, and South went to their room to pack York’s belongings. They had decided before that he could live with North until things settled down. 

North walked with York down to his car. There wasn't any obvious damage to York’s person, but he knew that sooner or later they'd have to take him to see a doctor. 

“Are you okay?” North asked when they got to his car. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little shaken up. Thank you for picking me up.” 

“I couldn't just leave you there. I've been witnessing this since middle school, once you finally asked for help, I wasn't just going to ignore you.” 

“But still.” 

Thirty minutes later the other three came running out with bags. They threw the stuff into the car before getting in themselves and insisted they needed to leave quick because Carolina was even angrier than before. 

“Looks like we won't be able to go home for a while.” Wash laughed. “She knows where all of us live.” 

“Well, is there anything anyone would like to do today?”


	74. Wash/locus/Felix/sharkface-"we can share"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I've ever mentioned this, but Sharkface's name in this is Dante.

Wash stood in front of Felix’s house in the early Autumn air for almost ten minutes before Felix’s mom invited him into the house. He was embarrassed to say the least, but he walked inside regardless. Wash didn't want to come in the first place, it was his older sister that made him. He was all for roughing out the first day of school on his own, he didn't want to bother Felix. 

 

Though the issue with that is the relationship they've had for almost a year. Granted they've always had Locus and Dante there with them as well, but they graduated last year leaving Wash and Felix on their own for the last year of high school. The month before school started, Dante and Locus packed up what they needed and moved almost half way across the country to go to college. 

 

What most people don't understand about Felix is the way he loves people. His love Locus is the sweetest, yet sickest love there is. He shows his love for Dante through frustration and anger, but at the end of the day they always know they love each other. But Wash doesn't know if Felix loves him at all. Wash has always assumed that Felix kept him around because the other two loved him. He has never shown love for Wash since they started dating, but Wash loves him nonetheless. 

 

“So why are ya here so early?” Felix’s mom asks while she pulls food out of the fridge to cook breakfast. 

 

“I-it’s the first day of school and I wanted to see if Felix would like to go together.” He rubs his arm thinking about how terrible his plan sounds out loud. 

 

“That’s really sweet of you. Why don't you go wake him up?”

 

Without saying anything, Wash walk out of the kitchen and upstairs towards Felix’s room. 

 

“Felix? Uh- your mom said I could come wake you up. I know you probably don't care, but it's the first day of school. And it's the first time in what? 6 years? That you've gone without Locus, and I thought you might want to go together.” Wash said after knocking on the door. Without receiving an answer, Wash walks in. 

 

Felix is sitting on his bed completely dressed staring at his back pack. Wash starts to stumble out an apology, but he is quickly waved off so he just sits down silently next to his boyfriend. If it were Locus or Dante, he would rest his head on their shoulder and ask them what they were thinking, yet the tension between the two is telling Wash that wouldn't be a good idea. 

 

They sit in silence until both phones go off at the same time. Felix leaves his where it is and Wash pulls his out, thankful for the distraction. It was a snapchat notification from Dante. He didn't hesitate to open the app to see a video along with text under it that read “watch with Felix” with a heart emoji following it. He moves to show Felix the message only to find he is already looking at the phone screen. 

 

Wash opens the video which is of Dante jumping on Locus’ bed with Locus yelling in the background. The bar of text says ‘I love you’ in all caps and the same heart emoji next to it.

 

“I hope you guys have a great day at school, text Lo or I whenever!” Dante yells, slightly out of breath. 

 

“Stop jumping on the damn bed! I'm not-” 

The video cuts off there and Wash can't help but smile. He taps the reply button and holds the phone up to take a picture. Felix is in the background staring at Wash with a look he doesn't know how to describe. He types out ‘will do, love you guys too’ before hitting send. 

 

“Why did your phone go off?” 

 

Without saying anything, Felix opens his phone as Wash looks over his shoulder. He doesn't bother to hide his password from Wash, about three months ago he felt bad about being a day off for Wash’s birthday, so he changed his password to it to ensure he would not forget it again. 

 

It's also a snapchat from Dante.

 

“Fuck you.”

 

“Be nice.” Locus says from behind him while putting on a shirt. 

 

“It's Felix.” 

 

“Never mind then.” 

 

“Fuck you,” he said again.

 

Felix smiles at the message and sends back a picture that says ‘not without you’ with the winking emoji. Wash rolls his eyes, but laughs anyway. 

 

“Did Locus send you anything?” Felix asks. 

 

“No.”

 

“Oh, maybe he will later, he isn't much of a morning person.” 

 

They go back to sitting in a brief silence, but Wash breaks it. As annoying as Felix can be, he'd prefer him talking rather than being silent. He theorizes that he could listen to Felix talk all day, just as he could watch Locus read all day or Dante paint all day. Talking is just his thing. 

 

“So are you good with going to school together? I'd rather know sooner rather than later.” He rubs his arm again out of nervousness. 

 

“Yeah, you're fine.” Wash sighs in relief, he was worried Felix might ditch him for his group of friends which would leave Wash in a tough spot. All of his friends graduated last year, he knows barely anyone in his class. 

 

“Kids! Breakfast is ready!” Felix’s mom calls from downstairs. Wash stands up to walk out but Felix stops him. 

 

“Unless you want to be tackled down the stairs, I would wait a second.” 

 

They walk downstairs a few minutes later and into the kitchen with everyone else. 

 

“No wonder he wasn't here on time, he was with his boyfriend.” His youngest sister mocks the pair as they walk in. 

 

“That isn't his boyfriend, he is dating Locus.” 

 

“That isn't his boyfriend, he is dating Dante.” His other two sister say at the same time.

 

“Wash is my boyfriend, and so is Dante and Lo.” Felix rolls his eyes, ignoring his sister's’ argument over who was right and who was wrong. 

 

He reaches up to the cabinet and grabs both himself and Wash a plate. Wash wonders why Felix is suddenly being nice to him, normally he gets the cold shoulder from him. They both fill their plates with food and sit down at the table to eat. 

 

Breakfast is never eventful at Felix's home. Everyone is quiet because they are more occupied planning out their day to talk to one another. Dinner is when they talk over each other so loudly it's hard to hear yourself think. 

 

“Here,” Felix hands Wash his car keys when they finish eating. “You go start the car while I go get out bags from my room.” 

 

“Are you really dating my brother?” Alana, Felix's youngest sister, asks as he just about to open the door. 

 

“Yes, I am. Is that okay with you?” 

 

“Do you love him?” 

 

“With all my heart.” Wash replies honestly. 

 

“Okay, that's all I needed to know.” She skips off back to the kitchen. 

 

He shakes his head smiling as he walks outside to start the car. He has to stop himself from sitting in the backseat of the black, beat-up jeep. That's where Dante and him sat everyday on the way to school. On the way home Felix would trade with Wash so he could sit next to Dante. He is once again thinking about how odd it is to not have the other two there.

 

“Okay, sorry that took so long, my sisters literally gave me hell as I walked out the door.” He put the two back packs in the backseat and starts to pull out of the driveway. 

 

“I always thought this was Lo’s car. I mean, he was always the one driving. He was always reluctant to let you drive.” Wash laughs. 

 

“Nah, he just doesn't trust my driving. It has to be better than yours though, considering you still don't have a license.” 

 

“You know why I don't have my license, asshole.” Wash rolls his eyes.

 

“Just because you're not good with cars and you have three boyfriends to drive you around isn't an excuse.” Felix laughs. 

 

Wash doesn't bother to reply, instead he looks out the window. He thinks about how different school is going to be without Locus and Dante. He always knew the people that didn't like him stepped back because of his boyfriends, but would they still do that with just Felix around? Sure Felix could fight, but he couldn't take on some of the guys that dislike Wash. Felix’s anger was always put into threats, he never did much else while in the school. 

 

“I'll see you later in the day, yeah?” Felix leans in and kisses Wash’s cheek before grabbing his bag and leaving the car. 

 

Wash didn't even notice they were at the school until the door closed. He grabbed his bag, still dazed at Felix's action, and then leaves the car as well. 

 

He pulls out his phone to text Dante. He looks up every few seconds to avoid running into anyone. 

 

 _we just got to school and Felix has been nice all morning ?? He even kissed me before getting out of the car ? What did you tell him_

 

He locks his phone and focuses on finding his locker. He looks around at all the people meeting up with their friends. He knows they all saw each other over the summer but regardless, everyone is excited to see their friends again. He gets to his locker and doesn't recognize anyone that's around it. His locker has always been away from Felix’s and last year it was in a separate hallway from Dante and Locus’. He resorted to carrying all of his books almost all day just so they wouldn't have to stop at his locker considering it was out of the way of everyone's class. 

 

Looking at the schedule taped to the inside of his locker, Wash has never been happier to be at the top of his class. He had most of his credits by the end of his junior year, the only core classes he needed to take was English and History, all other classes are electives or off periods. 

 

His fourth period was AP English 4 and the fifth was AP European History. Felix always thought it was funny he'd rather learn about a different country, but Wash didn't care, according to Dante who took the class last year, it was really easy despite being an AP course. 

 

His other classes would be just as easy. He had first period off, second period was a peer coach class where he would go to a freshman class and help students. Third period was lunch, it was the earliest lunch class meaning there wouldn't be many people in it and Wash didn't know if he should be happy about that or not. Sixth was his library assistant period, and seventh was an art class, and eighth was an off period as well. 

 

He spent first period wandering around the school. There wasn't anything he was meant to do, technically he could have stayed home and just came before second period started. He found himself sitting in the fine arts hallway, listening to the band and the choir, the songs didn't go together at all, but there wasn't any silence.

 

He checks his phone, finding he had three text messages: two from Dante and one from Felix. 

 

_i didn't tell him anything, no promises that Lo didn't_

_If he starts acting up, I'll talk to him_

 

There is a winking face following it. Wash replies ‘sure will’ quickly before opening Felix’s message. 

 

 _I was thinking of skipping the rest of the day, you in_

 

 _please don't_ Wash types back.

 

 _the shit I do for you man, fine I'll stay. What lunch do you have?_

 

_3_

 

There wasn't a reply, but the bell was about to ring, so Wash walked towards the class he would be helping with for the first semester. It was an algebra class which meant this would be easier than he originally thought. Algebra was the easiest math class he took. 

 

“You must be David? Right?” The teacher asks when he walked into the room during passing period. She was a young teacher, it's possible it's her first year at the school and that's why she was assigned a peer coach. 

 

“Yeah, but everyone calls me Wash.” 

 

“Alright. When I'm done introducing myself you can introduce yourself. We aren't doing anything today so I will probably just let them play on their phones.” 

 

Wash nodded and sat down in the back of the room where there was a table. He wasn't sure if it was for him, but that's where he was going to sit until told to move. 

 

“Aren't you a little old to be in algebra?” One kid sat down in the desk in front of him. 

 

“I'm a peer coach. I'm just here to help,” Wash said. 

 

“Oh.” The student turns back around. 

 

The bell rings and Wash zones out until the teacher is done talking and introduces him. He stands up, says his name, and sits back down. He can hear the students talking amongst themselves for the rest of class. The only conversation that catches his interest is from a student to his right talking about him. 

 

“My sister is in his grade and said he has three boyfriends. I wonder if it's true.” 

 

“Why don't you ask him?” 

 

“Oh my god, no way.” 

 

Wash can't help but laugh to himself as he tells the whole conversation to Dante over snapchat. He isn't bothered by people knowing, there is only one group of students in the school that care. They are the only people Wash is worried about this year. He doesn't think they will do anything, but it is possible they will say something and Wash has never been good at taking insults. There are times he will lash out and he will hit someone and there are other times he will just escape to the nearest bathroom and battle off any anxiety that came with the statement. It all depends on what is said. 

 

When the bell rang he made his way towards his locker. He wasn't in a rush, he was never worried about waiting in the lunch line, he could eat his whole meal in five minutes if he had to.

 

He opened his locker and grabbed his backpack, he would need it for his next to classes. Just as he closed the locker, two hands covered his eyes. Wash yelped in surprise and accidentally slammed the locker closed. 

 

“Psh, chill out Washington.” Felix laughed behind him. 

 

“God, you scared me. Where were you? I didn't even hear you walk over.” He said. “And since when have you called me Washington?” 

 

“That's a secret, and since I just did. But enough with the small talk, come with me.” 

 

“Not until you tell me where we are going.” 

 

“I'm taking my boyfriend out for a nice lunch before we go and battle Mrs. Wade in English. Is that going to be a problem?” 

 

“Not until you don't order a milkshake like always.” 

 

And Just as Wash said, Felix complained as they sat in small fast food restaurant because he wanted a milkshake but didn't order one. 

 

“You do this every time. Literally every time we go out to eat. Why don't you just go order one now?” 

 

“It's too late now, we already ordered.” Felix groaned and put his head in his hands. 

 

“You're such a child,” Wash smiled. “We can share mine.” He pushes his vanilla milkshake over to Felix who takes it with no complaints. 

 

“Thanks babe, I owe you.” 

 

“Yeah, okay.” 

 

They return to the school five minutes late to their English class. The halls are quiet as Wash drags Felix towards their class. He suggested skipping again, but Wash once again declined.

 

“And why would you two be late?” 

 

“ ‘Cause they were making out.” A kid in the center of the room whispers causing the class to laugh. Wash turns red and puts his head down. 

 

“Getting more action than you ever will.” Felix retorted. 

 

“I'm sorry Mrs. Wade, we went out to eat lunch and the line was longer than expected. It won't happen again.” Wash apologizes for the both of them. 

 

“Just take your seats.” 

 

Wash sits in the back corner where he can hear and see everything going on in the class. Felix sits down next to him and makes a point to move his desk closer to Wash’s. He smiles over at Felix but soon buries himself in his notebook and phone. They weren't doing anything in class- most teachers wait until the second day to bombard the class with information. 

 

He gets a text from Locus halfway into the class. Felix looks over to see what it was and then occupies himself with his own phone. 

 

_how's school?_

_It's fine, Felix has been oddly nice all day_

_?_

_It's just all day he has been talking to me and is being super nice and is actually treating me like his boyfriend instead of the guy who dares his other boyfriends idk it's just weird to see him actually care about me_

_Oh_

 

“What does Lo have to say?” 

 

“Nothing interesting.”

 

“Dante just texted you.” Felix points to his phone. Wash nods and unlocks the phone. He makes sure Felix isn't watching the screen before he reads the texts in case it pertains to their earlier conversation. 

 

_is Felix still acting “weird” ?_

_Yeah, I just got done telling Locus about how it feels weird that he is suddenly acting like my boyfriend_

_He has always acted like your boyfriend_

_No he hasn't, he has always liked you guys more than me. I feel like he never really acknowledged me. There are times (most of the time) where I doubt he even loves me, it's not like he says it that often anyway_

_You know how Felix is_

_I have to go, the bell just rang_

 

Wash puts his phone down and puts all of his stuff into his bag. 

 

“What do you have next?” Felix stands from his own desk. 

 

“European history. What about you?” 

 

“Math. Do you want me to walk you to class?” 

 

“No, it's far from your class; I don't want you to be late. But I do want the car keys, I have eighth off and would rather sit in the car than sit in the school.” Wash said. Felix tossed him the keys before Wash walked out the door. 

 

The rest of Wash’s day is uneventful. The only class he did anything in was a small sculpture in art class. The teacher said to start a project that reflected your art style, Wash took a slab of clay and just molded it. It doesn't look like anything yet, but it will at a later date. 

 

Felix gets in the car quietly once school lets out. He doesn't say anything but he grabs Wash’s hand before driving out of the parking lot. Music from his phone plays through the ride, but he unplugs it when Felix stops in front of his house. 

 

“Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow?” 

 

“See you tomorrow.” Wash leans in to kiss Felix and is surprised when he kisses back. He says thank you one more time before he closes the door and walks to his front door. 

 

“How was school?” 

 

“It was school. I'm going to go to my room.” He doesn't look up from his phone while he answers his mom. He scrolls through his contacts until it lands on Dante’s name. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Hey,” He said. 

 

“Hey! How was school?” 

 

“It was good, nothing exciting. Felix was really quiet on the ride home, kinda unlike him, ya know?” 

 

“Maybe he had a long day?” 

 

“Maybe.” 

 

“Hey, Locus wants to talk to you.” Dante said quickly. 

 

“What? Who said that?” Locus said as he pressed the phone against his ear. “Oh, hey Wash.”

 

“Hey, how is college going?” 

 

“It's fine, only going to class for a few hours a day is great. How was your first day? Did anyone give you trouble?” 

 

“No, I think this year will be pretty easy.” 

 

“Good,” He said flatly. 

 

“I'm going to go, I think I'm going to take a nap.” 

 

“Okay, love you.” 

 

“Love you too, tell Dante I love him.”

 

“Will do, bye.”

 

“Later.” 

 

Wash hangs up the phone and plugs it into the charger. This is normally where he would do his homework, but he would take this opportunity to get a head start on sleep before school starts to take its toll. Which it might not for him, but he will be up all night helping Felix study if he has to- which he knows he will have to. 

 

Regardless of the reason, Wash falls asleep fully dressed on top of covers. 

 

-

 

He wakes up to his phone vibrating on his bedside table. Wash has always been a light sleeper, so the soft vibration sounded like a war as it woke him up. He didn't check the caller ID before answering because he was more worried about answering before it went to voicemail. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

“Hey, I'm uh- I'm at your house. Would it be okay if I came in?” He heard Felix through the phone. He sounded tired and upset, but Wash didn't question it. 

 

“Yeah, of course! I'm in my room if you just want to walk in. My mom should be at work by now so don't worry about that. The door is locked but there is a key under the mat.” 

 

“Okay.” 

 

He hangs up and Wash heard the front door open and close softly. He can hear Felix’s footsteps pause outside of his door. It reminds Wash of earlier that morning when he was outside of Felix's bedroom debating whether he should go in or not. 

 

He walks towards the door, yawning as he runs his hand through his tousled hair. He opens it and Felix looks up at him like his world is in pieces. 

 

Felix rushes into Wash’s chest and hugs him tightly. Wash stumbles back but hugs back when he gains his composure. He wraps his arms around Felix's waist tightly and kisses the top of his head lightly. 

 

“Care to tell me what's wrong?” Wash whispers into Felix's hair. 

 

“I love you.” 

 

“Um okay? I love you too.” 

 

“No, I _love_ you.” 

 

“What is this about?” Wash pulls away from their hug. He sits on his bed and gestures for Felix to do the same. Wash sits in the corner of the headboard and the wall against pillows, Felix sits on his lap and stays as close to Wash as he can. 

 

“Dante and Locus sent me pictures of their conversation with you from today. And then today when I got home, Alana told me that you love me with your entire heart. I made a joke about it being only a third of your heart because of- that doesn't matter, you get it.” He explained.

 

“And I felt like shit about it, but I tried ignoring it because I'm not one to act on feelings, ya know? But then Locus called me and asked if I talked to you yet and I said no because I hadn't. He asked how I was felt and I told him. He said that if that's how I felt to imagine how you feel. And then I hung up and went for a walk. I wasn't really looking for anywhere to go but I ended up in front of your house, so I took it as an opportunity to talk to you.” 

 

“Talk to me about what?” 

 

“About why I love you. I thought it was more obvious that I did, I thought you knew. I love the way you give me your milkshakes when we go out to eat. I love how you rub your arm when you're nervous. I love how you listen to generic pop music, I love the way you will scream out the lyrics when we are driving down the highway. I love that your hair looks like it’s dyed but it's not. I love the way you refuse to wear your glasses even when you definitely should be wearing them- hell, I love the way you look with glasses even if you don't.” 

 

“Okay, that's enough.” Wash laughs. “I know you could go on all day.”

 

“The only thing I don't love about you is the way you won't talk to me. You're always so anxious around me. You act like you are scared of me, but I know you aren't.” He said.

 

“Listen, Locus and Dante aren't here- they won't be for the entire year. Sure they can drop in at the holidays and we can talk to them everyday, but it isn't the same as them being here in person. But you and I have each other in person. You are all I have right now and I'm all you have. It isn't going to last that way if you don't trust me enough to talk to me.” 

 

“What Are you talking about? I trust you.” 

 

“No you don't! And I don't want to lose you, so I need you to!” 

 

“Hey, hey, calm down. It's okay, we can work on things if we have to. There isn't anything wrong with that, I would rather us work on it than just push it aside.” 

 

“I love you.” 

 

“And I love you too.” 

 

Felix sniffles and Wash feels terrible for being the reason Felix is about to cry. He pulls up a blanket over the both of them. 

 

“I love you,” Felix mumbles. 

 

“I know you do, I love you too.”


	75. Grif/Simmons- "I'm glad you're back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it isn't as obvious as I hope, the non-italicized part is meant to be a news article type thing.

Roughly 797,500 children are reported missing every year; Seventy-four percent of those children are killed once taken. After 24 hours, the child is presumed dead and authorities start looking for a corpse rather than the child. 

 

Three years ago, Sarah Grif became apart of those statistics. 

 

She was last seen by her parents playing in the front yard of her home. She was only outside for 30 minutes before she was taken. Her father, Richard Simmons Grif, was checking on her every ten minutes while helping his husband cook lunch. 

 

_”Grif, she’s gone!” Simmons rushes into the kitchen after checking the front lawn._

_“What? Did you check the house? Maybe she came in and you just didn't notice.” Grif didn't sound at all alarmed. He thought Simmons was just being his over-reactive, paranoid self. Ever since they adopted Sarah, he has been the over protective father. Grif would complain about it at times, but he was secretly appreciative of the careful eyes Simmons had._

_“Will you at least help me look?”_

_Grif turned the stove off, moving the pan off of the hot burner and set it on the one adjacent to it. He walked out of the kitchen and went upstairs with Simmons._

_“Sarah? Sara, where are you?” They called this amongst other things as they searched each room of the house._

_“Oh my god Grif, she isn't here.” Simmons cried. “What do we do?”_

_“Calm down, we will call the police. She will show up, everything will be fine.”_

 

Two years after the kidnapping, police found a child’s body six miles out of the town Sarah grew up in. The body was misidentified as hers, the parents were told it was most likely their child. Dexter Grif, second father of Sarah's, claimed it couldn't be their child because he would know if she died. The press did not proceed in asking questions, fearing it was too much for the fathers to handle. 

 

After their military career, Grif and Simmons no longer needed a job. They spent the first year of civilian life in the luxury of their home spending time with their newly adopted daughter. During the second year, Grif got a job at a friend-owned bakery to make use of his time. Simmons stayed home with the baby and occasionally babysat their nephew Lavernius Tucker Jr.

 

_“Wake up, it’s time for you to go to work.” Simmons threw a pillow at Grif’s head before walking into the bathroom connected to their bedroom._

_It had been nearly a year of their daughter being gone. The FBI put the case behind them, only revisiting it if something new comes up. It seemed as though a lot of people gave up on finding Sarah. It was always at the front of their minds though, they could never get the thought of Sarah out of their head._

_Both Grif and Simmons’ sleeping patterns were altered by the disappearance of their daughter. If they weren't waking up to UNSC related nightmares, it was nightmares regarding the day Sarah was taken._

_Simmons had given up on sleep as much as he could to avoid the nightmares. Grif described him as a walking corpse- with the sunken in eyes and paler than normal skin among other smaller things, he was almost unrecognizable._

_Physically Grif looked as if nothing ever happened, he put on a façade to keep himself up. If he acted like he was okay, he'd be okay eventually, right?_

_That logic proved to be false after the fifth person asked him if he was okay one day at work. His friends kept coming in or calling asking if he needed anything on the year anniversary. Tucker, Donut, and Caboose came to see him at work, and Kimball and Sarge called him._

_As soon as he heard the gruff voice of his old Sergeant asking how he was doing, Grif had to leave his work for the day. He sat in his car for nearly an hour crying to Sarge about everything. Sarge said nothing the entire time, instead he just listened to try and comfort Grif._

_Almost two years to the date, they received a phone call about a body being found. It appeared to be a girl around Sarah’s age at the time and it was in the woods six miles outside of their town. All signs pointed to it being Sarah._

_Reluctantly, the Grif’s went to the morgue where the FBI and local police were waiting for them. They were taken to the body, but warned before they opened the coffin it was already in._

_“It isn't pretty, I'm not sure if ya’ll would actually like to confirm it.”_

_“The victim has severe burns and the girl’s face is unrecognizable.”_

_“Just show us.” Grif said._

_The opened the coffin and the sight was horrific. Simmons turned and buried his face in Grif’s shoulder._

_“That's not my daughter.” Grif stated bluntly._

_“Sir, we understand denial, but-”_

_“No,” He interrupted the agent. “I would know if that was my daughter. I'm telling you, that is not Sarah.”_

 

On the three year anniversary of Sarah’s disappearance, the local county news put up the information they had on her, including a sketch of what she would possibly look like currently. 

 

Fortunately, a citizen two towns over had recognized the girl in the drawing while grocery shopping. She followed the person to their car before calling the police. She gave them the plate information and won enough, the FBI were back in town and at the doorstep of the address given to them after the plate reading. 

 

Sarah Grif was returned to her parents Friday night after receiving a medical check at the hospital. 

 

_“Simmons!” Grif ran into their bedroom to get Simmons out of bed. It was late at night and he was trying to get some sleep._

_“I was just about to fall asleep, what do you want?”_

_“I'm not even going to feel bad about waking you up because of what I have to tell you.” Grif smiled._

_“Well what's your news?”_

_“They found Sarah! She is at the hospital now, we have to go pick her up!” He yelled. “Now get your skinny ass out of bed, we have to go!”_

_Simmons was dressed and in the car in almost two minutes._

_The entire ride to the car was filled with excited chatter that they've haven't experienced in years. They were about to call their friends, but texts messages were flooding into their phones faster than hey could read. Tucker even called them._

_“You found her?” He exclaimed as soon as he heard the line pick up._

_“Yes! We are on our way to pick her up now!” Grif said._

_“Dude, in like two weeks when you are all acquainted again, I'm going to make sure everyone is at your house. I know Simmons hates parties, but he will have to deal- we have three years of holidays and birthdays to catch up on.”_

_“I don't even care,” Grif laughed._

_Tucker hung up shortly after as they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. The police were waiting at the front of the hospital._

_“She is finished her check up now. There doesn't seem to be any injuries, she is just a bit dirty from where they kept her. She is perfectly healthy and is able to go home with ya’ll tonight.”_

_They thanked the officer and headed inside to the waiting room. They say nervously holding each other’s hands. Simmons kept repeating “everything is fine” to keep himself calm; however, Grif wasn't even trying to hide his excitement. People in the waiting room looked envious of him for his good news, but nobody would say anything- the people in the town knew who he was and why he was there._

_Time seemed to go in slow motion as their daughter was brought out to them. She ran towards them as they stood up. Simmons dropped to his knees and pulled her as close to him as he could. Simmons let go as Grif picked her up. He stood back up and once again hugged both of them, kissing each of them on the cheek._

_Grif held on close to Sarah with the intent to never let go. He cried as he combed her- now brown- hair out of her face. She wiped his tears out from his eyes._

_“Did you miss me?” She asked._

_“More than anything, sweetheart. I thought about you the entire time.” Grif kissed her forehead and handed her back to Simmons who looked desperate for his daughter back in his arms._

_“I'm glad to see your sense of humor is still the same.” He said._

_“Can I go home now?”_

_“We've been waiting for you to come home.”_

_He carried her out of the hospital, thanking the police officers as they passed. Simmons sat in the backseat with her while Grif drove the pair._

_“I'm glad you're back, we've missed you.”_


	76. None- "I want you to have it."

More and more cars filled the parking lot as parents picked up their children from the camp. School started in two weeks and the kids needed to get everything ready for that. Parents thanked all of the counselors, the campers doing the same. 

Doc and Donut stood in their cabin helping all of the campers they were assigned to earlier in the year. They were folding clothes and checking trunks to make sure nothing would be left behind. Occasionally an item would be left behind and the camp owners never liked telling the parents the item would be there until next summer because all of the staff was at their homes. 

“Is everyone sure they have everything? You all triple checked?” Doc asks the array of campers nodding their heads. 

“Then would someone care to explain why this hoodie was stuffed under the bed?” Donut stood up from the ground, holding the hoodie in the air. 

“That’s mine.” The boy standing in the front row grabbed it from Donut and stuffed it in his bag hastily. 

“Alright, well now that everyone is packed and the room is checked, we can go see your parents!” Doc opens the door and all the kids run out towards their parents. A few run back to say good-bye, but they are all too excited to see their parents again. 

“I can’t tell if this is the best or worst part about this summer.” Donut whispers to Doc. 

“Depends on who you ask. I’d say worst, you’d say best.” He shrugs. 

Doc had been coming to this camp since he was twelve. It was originally a way to escape his parents, but he came back a second year for the friends he makes every summer. Now he was a counselor that just enjoyed helping the kids with whatever they need. 

This was Donut’s first year at camp. He was graduating college, but he needed volunteer hours with kids for his Child Guidance class. He thought a summer camp would work well and it ended better than he thought it would. 

“I'm going to miss this place, ya know?” Doc said as they walked back to their cabin. 

“You'll be back in a few months for the counselor training in January,” Donut reassured him. 

“What about you?” 

“Yeah I'll be back if finals don't have me dead by then,” He laughs. 

“Last night I found all of our crafts from the summer.” Doc and Donut were the counselors that remained in the camp’s Craft Tent almost all summer. It was the best and worst job of camp. Best because they had air conditioning all day, worst because they didn’t have the best connection with some of the campers. A lot of campers come to camp for the outdoors, so crafting wasn’t exactly their favorite part of the week. 

“Really? Did you find my bracelet that said “Stressed” on it?” 

“Uh, of course I did.” Doc hold up the pink bracelet with the bold white on black letter beads. 

“Good, I want you to have it,” He smiled at Doc who looked shocked. The bracelet was the first thing he ever made at the camp. It took him nearly all day to make the simple design and he was beyond proud when he finally finished it. 

“But you worked so hard on it?” 

“Then think of it as my promise to come back next year, I’ll have to make my own next summer.” 

~

The next day Donut declares the worst day of camp. Watching each counselor return to their lifestyles was _interesting_ to say the least. 

He watched as Church, one of the technology leaders, walk out of his cabin in the same black suit he showed up to camp in. His face was cleanly shaven, his hair was gelled back, and he looked like a completely different person. He was arguing on the phone with someone and he said a quick good-bye to everyone before getting in the most expensive car in the lot and driving away. 

The next one to leave was Tucker. His son left the previous day with Tucker’s mother. He was on the phone complaining about leaving, but he didn’t stop to say farewell to anyone. It appeared as if he didn’t care about leaving at all. But Donut wasn’t one to judge, maybe he had something rough going on at home. 

Next was the Dakota twins. They were in charge of the rope courses that were littered amongst the trees behind the camp. They were both in their Marine uniforms; South was eyes North’s because he had just two more badges than her. Regardless, she said good-bye to everyone by taking a large group photo. North gave every a personalized card he had made at some point. They would both being going back into battle until next summer- he didn’t know if there would be a next summer. 

Grif and Simmons walked out together. Simmons had his camera out taking pictures of all the scenery while Grif pulled him towards the car. He had to go back to his sister and make sure she stayed out of trouble during the three months without him. Similarly to South, Simmons took a picture with everyone individually before getting into the passenger seat of Grif’s beat-up car. 

Donut and Doc were the last ones to leave. They each had a small 2-door volkswagen bug that they parked right next to each other. Donut got into his white one and Doc got into his black one. Donut gave a small wave and drove off pretending he couldn’t see Doc shedding tears in the driver's seat of his car. 

It was going to be a long year.


	77. Wash/North/York- "Call me if you need anything."

The long nights, the endless amounts of caffeine, and the thought in the back of your mind that debt is piling up. 

Wash doesn’t remember college fondly to say the least. 

Out of North, York, and himself, he was the most recent college graduate. 

The three were in dorm building five with Delta leading them through the halls. Theta and Epsilon were currently being babysat by Soth as they gave Delta their goodbyes earlier in the day. They all agreed it’d be better to not bring the entire family along. 

“Well this is my room.” Delta looks down at his schedule to double check. He knocks on the door as a courtesy to whomever might be in the room. There isn’t an answer, so he uses his key to unlock the door. 

York and North set down the boxes of Delta’s stuff in front of the bed. Each of them took to one of the boxes and started unpacking the items Delta thought he needed most. York was stuck folding clothes, North was setting out all of his school supplies and chemistry kits he’s collected throughout the years on the small desk, and Wash was taking pictures and hanging them up in different spots along the room. 

He was overcome with different emotions as he looked through all the pictures. 

There was one of Delta, Theta, and Epsilon from the day Theta was brought home. They were all stood standing in the livingroom. Delta had Theta in his arms and Epsilon was looking down at Theta. Wash had a soft spot for this photo because he remembers sitting in the backseat with Theta’s carseat nearly in tears thinking “what if the boys don’t like him?” He was ecstatic when they got home and they were fighting to hold the baby first. 

Another was of North, York, and Wash. Wash is asleep with a baby Epsilon sleeping on his chest. York was drawing on his face, and North appeared to be muffling his laughter. They all looked so young. Wash was in his last year of college at that point and Epsilon refused to leave his side. He recalls one day when he was being so fussy with North and York that Wash brought him to his English class. Epsilon slept like a baby through the whole class, but Wash was too worried about the baby to focus on the lesson. 

Delta would have been about eight at the time and he had a knack for taking different electronics from around the house and figuring out all the ways he could use them. Taking pictures was a thing he did too often, but Wash would never complain about the amount of photos he has that he otherwise wouldn’t. 

The third one looked to be cut down the middle. It had a navy blue paper as a border to give the picture enough width to fit in the frame. It is one of the pictures taken out from a scrapbook Wash and Delta made when they first met. It was Delta’s idea to make the scrapbook with pictures each of them have to get to know each other with the story behind the pictures. Later on Delta would admit he only offered because it looked like something Wash would be interested in doing. Wash can’t say he was wrong considering he really did enjoy getting to know Delta. 

The picture was of York in high school, his scar was still fairly new at that time. It’s the reason York refuses to drive if the kids are in the car. Delta was only two months old when they were hit by a drunk driver. Delta wasn’t harmed at all, but York’s eye couldn’t be saved. He says he prefers losing his eye to losing his son. 

York was standing in a nursery with Delta in his arms. He was smiling into the camera and Delta was propped up against his chest with his arms under his legs to hold him up so they were both facing the camera. York looks so happy, it’s almost indescribable- it’s only a look Wash has seen a handful of times. The picture was cut off where Delta’s mom stood. She left three months after Delta’s birth, which was one of the hardest parts in York’s life. The crash had just happened so he was recovering and paying all sorts of fees, graduation was coming up, and he had a newborn to take care of. It was easy, but Wash knows York doesn’t regret a second of it. 

The door opens and in walks a lanky man with grey hair. He appears young and judging by the color of his stubble, his hair had been dyed grey. 

“Wha- who are all of you?” 

“I’m Delta and this is my dorm. These are my dads: Wash, York, and North,” Delta said. “Who are you?” 

“I’m Gamma, but most people call me Gary. So was the state thing just a coincidence or?” 

“Yeah we thought it was funny about ten years ago, but now it’s just another day-to-day thing,” York laughs. 

“And if you want to get technical, those are our old last names; well except for North, that’s just a nickname from his twin. The only reason we don’t go by our current last name is because we’d all be Dakota,” Wash explains.

“I’m sorry about them, they talk too much,” Delta said. 

“Not a problem, my step-dad never stops talking.” 

“You guys can go now, I’ll finish packing later.” 

“You sure?” North asked. 

“Yeah, it’s not a problem. I’m sure Theta and Epsilon are waiting for you guys.” 

“Is the greek letter thing also a coincidence?” Gary asked. 

“Your name is Gamma, that’s a greek letter,” Delta points out. “But no, our real names are Dylan, Theodore, and Eric. We go by the other names just because- well I don’t know why, we just always have.” 

“Okay, we’re gonna go.” York said. He and North walked by, hugging Delta and telling him to prepare for whatever Wash was going to do. He was the most emotional of the three and they weren’t sure what good-bye speech he has up his sleeve. 

“Agh, I can’t believe you’re going to college!” Wash exclaimed. 

“Here we go,” North whispered. 

“I’m going to miss you so much! It’s going to be so weird not having you at the house all the time, who else is going to help the kids with their homework? Well I suppose that’s our job, but you were always better at it! They listen to you more than us anyway, especially Epsilon with that rebellious phase he is going through right now. Once upon a time I couldn’t get him to leave me alone and now that’s all he does! Hard to believe, right? Anyway, your college life is going to be good. You have all those scholarships Mr. Valedictorian, you’re smart, if anyone can breeze through college, it’s you. And-” 

“Okay, okay. You can stop, I get the message.” Delta stopped his rambling. 

“Just call if you need anything. Anything! I promise I’ll do it for you.” Wash pulled Delta into a tight hug, kissing the top of his head. He let go, looked at Delta for a quick second, and then followed York and North out of the room. 

“Is he always to like that?” Gary asked. 

“You don’t even know.” 

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Delta continued unpacking. The few minutes of silence was refreshing, but it was short lived as his phone started ringing. 

“That would be Dad. I’m gonna go take this, make sure he isn’t having an anxiety attack in the car because I didn’t answer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felt like I haven't said anything in a while so if anyone has any requests, I'd love to write them for you guys! It can be ships or prompts or just headcanons you want incorporated. Thank you guys!! <3


	78. "You look beautiful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was for the rvb secret santa on tumblr (my url is the same as it is here and my fic account is knife-wielding-merc just saying lol)

“You can’t just not go,” Simmons said. He swiveled his chair around and looked into Wash’s cubicle that was right beside his. 

“Sure I can.” Wash shrugs. “I won’t know anyone there and we have to wear ugly sweaters. Speaking of, I brought the wrong one so I would have to wear Tucker’s instead of mine.” 

“You’ll know me and Grif, don’t forget we are being forced to go as well.” 

“The things we do for Tucker, am I right?” Wash laughed. 

“Dude, everyone going is going for Junior. As his godparents, Grif and I are responsible for buying him Christmas gifts. And we are going to Kai’s house on Christmas day, so we are going today,” Simmons said. 

As much as Wash didn’t want to agree with Simmons, it was true. Junior was spoiled amongst his family. He was given 8 Hanukkah presents from Wash along with whatever items he received for Christmas from Tucker and Tucker’s extended family. No one ever thought Tucker would have kids so his family was ecstatic to find out he had a son. 

The party was being held three days before Christmas Eve because of Hanukkah starting on December 24th this year. Wash insisted it’d be okay if they held the party then like they always do, but Tucker’s sister told him that would be inconsiderate of his faith. Wash awkwardly thanked her and regrets sounding less appreciative than he actually was. 

The party was held by Tucker’s oldest sister every year. She had the biggest house of the family up until Tucker returned from Chorus and bought the largest house he could afford. The party wasn’t relocated because of a tradition factor that Tucker’s mother wanted to hold onto. 

“I’m gonna go change into my sweater, you coming?” 

“Yeah, give me a second; I still have to shut off my computer.” Simmons grabs the backpack he brings to work everyday and heads towards the bathroom. Wash shuts down all the running programs and set some upgrades to occur while the computer was in sleep mode for the rest of the night. He then grabs his own bag and walked towards the bathroom. 

Simmons was standing in the mirror admiring the sweater he bought days ago. It was bright orange with purple letters spelling out “Happy Holidays!” Wash can tell he bought it simply for how the colors clashed because otherwise it wouldn’t be ugly sweater. He knew Grif had a matching sweater but his was flourescent yellow and brown. Granted it looked better than Simmons, but it still wasn’t the prettiest of color combinations. 

Wash pulled out Tucker’s regrettable sweater. He woke up late and in his attempt to get to work on time, he grabbed the wrong sweater from the closet. He shamefully pulled the sweater on over his shirt. 

“Why are you wearing a shirt under it?” 

“Because some of us have ridiculously sensitive skin.” Wash rolled his eyes. He zipped up his backpack and left the bathroom with Simmons behind him. 

“I don’t know why you’re so ashamed of that sweater,” Simmons said. 

“Oh you mean it isn’t obvious?” 

The sweater was navy blue with white lettering that read “Jingle My Bells” and it had bells over Wash’s nipples. Tucker had bought the shirt months ago, claiming it was perfect. Wash disagreed then and disagrees even more now that he is wearing it. 

“You’re over thinking it, it’s actually pretty funny.” They left the building and went to their respective cars. The plan was to carpool to work and to the party, but after Wash failed to wake up to his alarm, the plan was dumped. 

He starts his car and waits for it to heat up before he can start driving. It wasn’t snowing, nor was their snow on the ground, but Wash considers anything under 70° to be too cold. Tucker never understood this considering Wash grew up in Europe where it is under 60° for a good part of the year. Perhaps it was the temperature controlled armor that made him accustomed to warmer weather. 

The party wasn’t that far from where he worked so it only took a few minutes to get there. He saw Simmon’s car waiting in the driveway, presumable stalling going inside alone. He doesn’t blame him, he would do the same. 

“Why are you waiting?” Wash asks anyway once he gets to Simmons’ car window. 

“I was texting Grif to open the door so we don’t have to awkwardly knock and have Mama Tucker exclaim how different we look until I’m drunk enough to not care.” Simmons said. He got out of the car and opened the trunk to get the gifts he had for Junior out of the trunk. They were all in bags for the convenience of the handle, but there was still and arm load and some. Wash grabbed half of the bags from Simmons- more than he had to, but he wanted to cover his sweater until he could switch with Tucker. 

They knocked on the door and Grif opened it immediately. He set his already half-empty beer on the railing of the porch and grabbed the gifts from Wash. He tried to take them back, but Grif wouldn’t let go. 

“Oh my god,” Grif laughed upon seeing the sweater. “Why?” 

“Where’s Tucker?” He walked in the direction Grif pointed and found Tucker sitting at the table playing cards with the other adults while Junior looked over his shoulder. Junior noticing Wash first, tapped his father’s shoulder and signed: 

“Wash is here, he looks mad.” 

“Wash, darling, how was work today?” Tucker looked up with a knowing smirk. He was wearing Wash’s cat sweater that was meant to go with Junior’s dog sweater. The whole cat-or-dog debate was a constant battle at their home. Wash wanted a cat, Junior wanted a dog, and Tucker is allergic to both. 

“Oh dear, what is with your sweater?” Tucker’s mother exclaimed loudly causing the rest of the table to turn and stare at his sweater. 

“ Tucker, would you mind joining me in the other room for just a moment,” Wash said in the sweetest, most passive-aggressive voice he could muster. He walked out, leaving Junior in charge of his cards- a surprisingly good idea on his part considering Junior could hold a straight face through anything. 

“It would appear as though you are wearing the wrong sweater.” Tucker grins. 

“Can we please trade back? Please.” 

“What? Do you not like my fashion taste?” 

“Come on Tucker,” Wash said. “I’m already out of my element at a party and I don’t need every staring at me on top of that. You know I hate having the attention on me.” 

“Okay, consider me your knight in teal armor,” Tucker laughs. 

“You haven't worn your armor in over three years.”

Tucker leads him past the living room of kids playing on their gaming console and up the stairs towards the guest room so they can change. It used to be Tucker’s room, but after the war and having a kid, he decided it was time to get his own house. 

Tucker stood in the mirror while he changed as he always did; Wash has never seen him change without a mirror or some reflective surface to look in. Wash walked up behind him, he took off the sweater and was now in just the blue shirt he wore to work that day. He knew what Tucker was thinking about, he was staring at all the scars he has collected over the year. He had more than a normal soldier would, but he has also been through more than a normal soldier. 

“Knock it off, you look beautiful.” He crossed his arms in front of Tucker’s torso, effectively cover most of his scars and kissed the top of his head. 

“Here’s your sweater, nerd.” 

He nodded and put the sweater on over his shirt again. He watched as Tucker pulled his sweater over his head and looked back in the mirror. 

“That’s more like it.” 

“Mom said you guys better not be fooling around in there!” Tucker’s niece yelled through the door. 

“Oh be quiet Talia, we’ll be out in a second.” Tucker yelled back. “Shall we go?” 

“We shall.” Wash smiled.


	79. None- "Do you want to come too?"

It wasn’t a secret to Doc that he was the last person his friends called to hang out. Most times he was only called to go to a party with them if there was no one else that could go. He didn’t mind it though. He preferred being in his dorm studying or playing games on his phone. He liked being alone, it helped him cool down after a long day. The occasional invite was appreciated, but he doesn’t know if he’d be up for a party every weekend like his friends participate in. 

His friends were and odd bunch, composed of stereotypes. There were the nerds which was himself and Simmons, Grif and Simmons always had a minimum of three joints on them at any given time, Donut and Church went to _every_ party, and Wash and Carolina were the RAs that everyone wanted to hang out with. 

He doesn’t remember when he met most of the group. Simmons, Grif, Donut, and Tucker have been around since middle school. He thinks Church and Wash showed up the summer before college. And he was sure he met Carolina on the first day of college. Now, in his third year of college, half of the group would be graduating and they were becoming stories the freshmen tell. 

Last week in the English class he was a TA for, he heard a group of underclassmen talking about a stunt Church and Donut pulled at a party. The story was eerily spot on, as if Donut or Church were telling it, but it was odd the students even knew it considering that particular party was three years ago. There is no way they would have known the story unless the senior class was _still_ talking about it. 

Regardless of whatever party was going on tonight, Doc sat in his dorm packing. It was the day before winter break started and it seemed everyone had some sort of party to go to. Some were throwing post-midterm parties, or holiday parties, and some were even celebrating New Years. He overheard a conversation about a fake countdown that would be in building A. 

A voice in the back of his mind wanted him to throw all of his belongings into the small bag without folding each shirt or being careful about it. He wanted to find the courage to go to one of the parties without and invitation. Half of the people that go to the parties weren’t invited, they just walk in and drink whatever alcohol is being offered. But instead he was making sure to pack his calculus textbook into his bag so he could get a headstart on next semester. 

“Doc?” There is a knock on his door. He doesn’t bother replying, all of his friends had a key to the room in case of emergencies. It’s only been used for an emergency once and that was when Grif was arrested for selling weed to a minor. Doc was woken from his nap to be the adult in the group and talk to the cops for Grif. He walked out of the jail with a warning. 

“Doc! Why aren’t you enjoying the day before break?” Church stumbled into his room drunk. Wash ran in only moments after. 

“Oh my god, why do you keep running away?” He yelled exasperated. 

“Because that girl keeps following me!” 

“There is no girl following you! You started saying that ten minutes after your second ecstasy pill!” He said. “Ya know what, Carolina can deal with you. Go. Go, find her.”

Wash pointed to the door and Church did as he was told. 

“I’m so sorry about that, he is a bit much at parties.” 

“So I’ve been told,” Doc laughs. 

“I was on my way to go meet the others over in building A, was gonna go check out the New Years thing they had going on. Do you want to come too? It might be fun,” Wash offers. 

“Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun.” 

~

The next morning Doc woke up in a dorm room he has never been in before. To his left was Wash and to his right was Donut; all three of them were squeezed onto the small single bed in the room. On the other bed was Simmons lying on top of Grif and Tucker hanging halfway off the bed. Carolina was passed out in front of the door, Church was in between the two beds, and Donut’s legs were lying outside the closet door. 

He has no recollection of what happened the night before other than when the countdown stopped. Everyone in the building started screaming, fire crackers were being thrown down the hallways, and a beer was placed in everyone’s hands. 

“Dude, you were a mess last night!” Tucker whispered across the room. 

“Oh no,” He groaned. “What did I do?” 

“You danced were on Wash’s shouders and Donut was on mine and you guys were having a dance off. It was bizarre, I don’t remember who won, but I now Donut fell off and hit his head pretty hard.” 

“Was he okay?” 

“Oh yeah,” Tucker said. “He got right back up, took Carolina’s beer right out of her hands, chugged it all, and then got back on my shoulders. Fastest bounce back I’ve ever seen.” 

“Anything else?” 

“You should check your instagram,” Wash joined the conversation. “I saw you posting a ton of things. I tried stopping you, but you wouldn’t.” 

Regrettably, Doc opens his instagram and a loud video of him flipping a beer pong table was on the screen. The noise woke the rest of the room with a groan. Carolina was the only one to sit up, the others remained where they were lying on the floor. 

“Whose room are we in?” 

“I have no idea,” Church said. “I don’t even know how we got here.” 

“Of course you wouldn’t, you went all out last night.” 

“Had a good time though.” 

“Same,” Donut said quietly, sitting up from the closet. “I’m gonna go get us some water and advil. I’ll be back in a bit.” 

They all slowly sat up at different times to look around the room. No one said anything, the silence was deafening enough with the headache they were all experiencing. 

“Hey Doc?” Grif whispered from the other bed. “We are throwing a party the day before classes start back up. Do you want to come?” 

“Can I answer that when I recover from this party?”


	80. Church/Tucker- "Is your seatbelt on?"

“I can't thank you enough for picking Junior up for me,” Tucker said. “Honestly, I was stuck at work, the boss wouldn't let me leave no matter what I said. And-” 

“It’s fine, chill out. The little man like going to my house anyway, we'll hang out for a few hours and then you'll come over. It isn't anything we haven't planned before.” 

“But I've never had to do it so suddenly. I wasn't expecting him to get sick at school and have to stay late at work.” 

“Tucker, seriously, I don't care. If anything it gives me a reason to leave work,” Church laughed. “Go back to work, I'll leave in a few minutes.” 

Church hangs up the phone and saves the file he was working on. Carolina wouldn't mind if he left for a family affair, she rarely cared if someone left for no reason at all. As long as the articles kept coming out, she didn't care. 

In under a minute, Church was clocking out of his shift. He walked to his car, cursing about the rain that no weather channel felt the need to warn people about. It was nearly a month until summer and it hasn’t rained for weeks, so he probably should have expected this. 

Summer was a whole other thought completely. Church always liked summer, the warm weather, more interesting stories to report, and overall everyone is in a better mood over summer. When he finally moved in with Tucker summer became even better. He would from home almost every day to babysit Junior. Not that he hates his job, but working in a new environment every now and then was refreshing. 

He drives out of the city and towards the small rural town Junior’s school was in. Fortunately, Church’s office wasn’t too far into the city, so his commute wasn’t as long as Tucker’s. Tucker’s is nearly an hour, but Church’s is only twenty minutes. With traffic the time could double, but being that it’s the middle of the day, there aren’t as many cars on the road. 

When Church walks into the office, the lady greets him like she would every other parent. 

“Hello, are you here to drop something off?” 

“Uh- no,” He said. “Actually my son is sick, so I came to pick him up.” 

“Your name? And then the child’s name?” 

“Leonard Church and Lavernius Tucker Jr..” 

“Your son, huh?” She typed the information into the computer. 

“Well he’s my step-son. His dad couldn’t get off work, so I came to pick him up.” 

“If you want to wait, he’ll be here in a second.” Church sits down in one of the chairs in the office and pulls out his phone to text Tucker that he picked Junior up. 

It was a few minutes before Junior walked into the office. He looked the same as always, but he was just like Tucker in the sense that he could hide being sick very well. Church thanked the receptionist behind the desk as he walked out with Junior. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Church asks before looking down to see Junior’s reply. 

“I have a really bad headache.” He signed. 

“Alright, we’ll get you some medicine when we get home and you can take a nap if you want.” 

The climb into Church’s car and when he turns it on the radio is nearly all the way up. Church curses his habit of listening to obnoxiously loud music while driving and turns it down almost immediately. He turns around to see if Junior is okay because there is no way that was good for his headache. Junior is covering his ears in the backseat. 

“I’m sorry! You okay?” He signs so he doesn’t make anymore noise. Junior nods while removing his hands from his ears. “Okay. Is your seatbelt on?” 

Junior nods and Church turns around in his seat to start the drive home. 

It was only a ten minute drive and there were less cars than in the city, but somehow bad luck seems to find Chruch. 

He was driving through the only intersection they’d have to cross for the entire drive when a car came speeding from the opposite direction. The car hit the front of Church’s causing him to slam his head into the airbag while glass from his window and the windshield rained onto him. He couldn’t feel anything, his hearing was muffled and, black splotches fazed in and out of his vision. 

It took all of his strength to turn around to see if Junior in a better condition than he was. Thankfully there were no visible injuries to Junior. He looked at Church with wide eyes, but appeared to be in shock so he wasn’t moving any muscles. 

“It’ll be okay,” Church whispered. “Just stay calm.” 

Junior nodded slowly. He wouldn’t look away from Church, but Church didn’t look away from him either. He was terrified something would happen if he looked away. 

The police showed up with and ambulance in minutes. A police woman picked Junior up out of the backseat while two paramedics helped Church walk. They insisted he shouldn’t, but he said that he didn’t want to scare Junior. He didn’t think much more could scare Junior than Church being carried on a stretcher. 

Feeling came back to Church almost as soon as he sat down in the ambulance. His body ached, the back of his neck stung, and he could feel blood dripping down his face. One of the paramedics left, presumably to get Junior upon Church’s request while the other started to tend to his injuries. 

“Junior, get my phone. Text your dad.” Junior did as he was told. Church watched as Junior quickly typed out what happened to Tucker. 

It didn’t take long to get to the hospital. They were immediately given a room because of the nasty cut on the back of Church’s neck. Doctor’s suspected there was still glass in it and that it would need to be cleaned. 

He sat up in the hospital bed so nothing would be placed against his neck. Junior sat in front of him on the bed. They were playing a card game on Church’s phone waiting for Tucker to show up. Occasionally a nurse would walk in to remind Church that his neck would have to be cleaned and then stitched soon, that he couldn’t keep pushing it off. He would nod in response and she would leave. 

“Mr. Church, you-” 

“I know, my neck has to be cleaned. I told you I’m waiting for someone so Junior wouldn’t be left alone.” 

“You know, even when you’re injured you’re still an asshole.” Tucker walks past the nurse and into the room. “Go clean your neck or whatever this nice nurse keeps telling you to do.” 

Tucker kissed the top of Junior’s head before ruffling his hair and signing that he is glad Junior’s okay. He hugged Church lightly, telling him to go with the nurse. 

“How about I hold Church’s spot in your game and when comes back he’ll play again?” Tucker asked Junior. He nodded and played his turn. 

~ 

They were released from the hospital two hours later. Church had a gauze patch on the back of his neck with strict instructions to be careful. It was such a mobile part of his body that just about anything could cause it to start bleeding again. The cut on his cheek was left alone because it wasn’t as deep. 

“I’m glad you guys are okay,” Tucker said. “Though I don’t know why people think it’s fun to crash into our car.” 

“Oh, be quiet. The last one was your fault.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That small part at the end when I realized most of my Chucker fics in this book thing have a car crash in them omg   
> One day I'll write something in this modern au that doesn't involve a car accident, I swear
> 
> Btw, thanks for reading, it's been like a solid three weeks since my last update on here, but I'm going to try and write more of these prompts! When I finally end with all 100 prompts, I'm going to go back and fix some of the ones that were just "fillers" so I could move onto the prompt after them sooner. (Looking at Chapter 12 in particular, but if you have any that you'd like to see rewritten, don't be afraid to tell me!)


	81. Grif/Simmons- "It's not so bad."

Among the canyon, it was well known that blue base would have to hold down Caboose to shave his beard and cut his hair. There was a point he had long hair, but it became a problem when he get it tangled in the helmet clasps on his armor. Since then it was kept short. 

Not as well known was when Red base went through the process of putting the team back into code. Sarge would have everyone stand in the middle of the base in their training clothes, that were never used for training, while Sarge walked up and down the short line to inspect his soldiers. Simmons always passed, he tried too hard not to. Donut occasionally passed, there are times he needs a small haircut or new clothes because his shorts have nail polish stains on them. However, Grif has never passed. 

The argument always started the same: with Sarge yelling a list of problem. His clothes were old, his hair was too long, or some other reason whether it was real or not. Grif would then retaliate with facts about how the code isn’t the same as it was when Sarge learned it or that soldiers break these codes all the time or that he just didn’t care what Sarge had to say. 

Today’s issue circled back to his hair. Grif’s hair was always tied up messily on the top of his head. The only time it was ever down was at night when he slept. Simmons liked to play with his hair when they had the chance. Despite having nothing other than standard shampoo, Grif manages to keep his hair soft and untangled. 

“Grif, when are you going to get that rat-nest you call hair cut?” Sarge stood in front of Grif with his arms crossed. 

“When are you going to read the updated manual? Soldiers are now allowed to have long hair as long as it does not interfere. Last I checked, my hair has been the least of our problems.” 

“You need to cut it. Donut, go get your scissors.” Donut ran towards his room, excited to cut hair that wasn’t already short. 

“What? No!” Grif exclaimed. “You’re not going to cut my hair. I will shoot Donut before he comes anywhere near me with scissors!” 

~

Grif looked in the broken mirror terrified at his reflection. His hair that used to be shoulder length was now unevenly cut by the bottom of his ears. It was apparent Donut didn’t know what he was doing when it comes to cutting hair- though, he can’t think of anything Donut knew what he was doing. 

“It’s not so bad.” Simmons walked up behind him. 

“How can you say that? I know your robot eye isn’t the best as far as sight goes, but a blind person could see how bad this is!” 

“It could be better, but we can fix it. We can go to blue base tomorrow; Church or Tucker can fix it,” He said. 

“I’m throwing away all the scissors in the base. This won’t ever happen again.” 

“They’ll just use a knife then,” Simmons laughed. 

“Then I’ll take those too.”


	82. none- "I was in the neighbourhood."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should point out now that the phrase isn't directly said, but Church refers to it. Without saying to much, it'll be pretty obvious what happened when you read it.

82\. “I was in the neighbourhood.” 

“Grif!” 

“Grif!” 

“Grif!” 

He could hear the yelling of Church, Tucker, and, surprisingly, Tex yelling for him as soon as they left their base. He can’t think of a single reason he should have to answer them. Why are they yelling for him urgently anyway? 

The canyon has been silent for almost a week now. In the long run, it was a very short period of time, but with Sarge as a sergeant and the enemy base so close, a week without a fight was a blessing for any of them. However, with three of the four enemies running towards the base shouting his name as if he set their front lawn on fire, the peace probably wouldn’t last much longer. 

“Grif!” Simmons stormed into his room. “Go out there and deal with your buddies before Sarge does something. I swear I will take all of the snacks hidden under your bed if you are the reason this vacation ends.” 

“What do you want me to do about it?” 

“I don’t give a damn! But go see what they want and then deal with it,” Simmons said before walking out of the room, presumably to his own. 

Grif pulls himself out of bed and slowly packs on his armor. He hated wearing it, but there have been too many experiences that it has saved his life that walking into what is technically a war-zone without it. 

Leaving his room for the first time in three days was just as boring as he expected. Nothing new was going on in the base. Donut was sitting on the metal kitchen counters painting his nails with the nail polish that always manages to show up randomly, Simmons was reading a book on the couch with two stacks of books next to him: the one’s he’s already read and the one’s he is going to read, and Sarge is taking the books from Simmons’ “already read” stack to read himself. 

“Grif! Get out here,” Tex yelled from right outside the base. 

“Coming, coming,” He said. 

Outside the base was 75% of blue team staring at him with fury in their eyes- well except for Tucker who looked indifferent. Tex was the only one besides himself with armor on and she was standing with her arms crossed, he could feel her glaring at him through the visor of the helmet. Church looked almost the same, but was overall more annoyed. He looks annoyed most of the time anyway, but it looks more genuine. 

“Can I help you?” 

“Is there a reason a certain someone is standing in our base right now?” Church asks. 

“You mean Caboose? Yeah, he’s your private and he has been there for a while. Why do I need to confirm that?” 

“Not Caboose, we aren’t stupid-” 

“Sarge would argue otherwise,” Grif said. 

“Do not interrupt me right now- or ever for that fact,” Tex nearly growls. 

“Who is at your base and why does it affect me?” 

“I would ask you to come and see, but I don’t need more than one Grif living in the same base as me,” Tucker laughs. “Your sister is back, she showed up at the crack of dawn.” 

“She showed up saying she was just in the neighbourhood, and Caboose didn’t bother to tell her you were over a the other base in the canyon,” Church said.

“To be fair, I don’t think he knows there’s another base.” 

“Just come get your sister and get her out of here before the next battle between these two disappointments of teams start fighting again.” Tex walks away with Church and Tucker following behind her like lost puppies. 

“Donut!” Grif reenters the base and Donut leaps off the counter to meet him by the door. 

“What’s up?” 

“Go get my sister from blue base,” He said. “She’ll let your do her hair or something if you ask. Just keep her busy while I find a way to get her to leave.” 

“Alrighty, I’ll be right back!” 

Donut runs towards blue base looking excited. He was possibly the only one who enjoyed Kai visiting because they both have bubbly personalities. Grif admits it’s nice to see his sister once in awhile, but that’s saved for when he is allowed to leave the canyon for a few weeks every year, not when she decides to show up. 

“How are you going to get her to leave this time?” 

“I have no idea.”


	83. 83. Felix/Locus- "Stay there, I'm coming to get you."

_”Just sign up, it’ll be better than your current situation anyway.”_ Felix mocks everyone that told him signing up for the UNSC would be better for him. 

He doesn’t understand how being shot is better than receiving a few punches every day. Sure his girlfriend- ex? He wasn’t sure- wasn’t the best, but she always said she didn’t have bad intentions. Felix knows she was lying, he never fell under her spell of false claims. She didn’t like him, she liked the money his family had. In fact, the whole reason she started the kicking and punching was because she found out he didn’t receive any of that money unless the situation was dire. He was capable of providing for himself and preferred to do so instead of living off of his parent’s money forever. 

She wasn’t so happy about the decision. 

Another argument he would often encounter from family was how he refused to defend himself. In a sick sense of irony, his oldest-younger sister had been in an abusive relationship for almost a year before Felix took it upon himself to finally end it. She was scared to talk about it, but the day after she did, the man was out of her life. 

Like most things in Felix’s life, he wasn’t scared to talk about it. He called his sisters almost immediately after the first punch and then told his mom the next day. They both told him to get help, but he didn’t feel comfortable leaving his girlfriend on the streets no matter how awful she could be. 

He doesn’t think the physical portion of her abuse was the worst to endure. He could take the hits, it didn’t affect him as much as people thought. The screaming of insults that came his way was far worse. 

It wasn’t a secret that Felix thought highly of himself. The image he had of himself in his mind was perfection for him. He knew he wasn’t completely perfect though. He knew about the scar that runs parallel to his left eyebrow from a glass window how once broke, the first inch or so of hair from his scalp was blond while the rest of his hair was a dark brown, and his eyes were different colors depending how he felt about wearing glasses that day. But he was okay with all of those things, and he thought his girlfriend was too, but it became clear she thought otherwise. 

The only fear he would say he gained from the relationship was of people who were closed off. He likes to know what people are thinking, and more specifically: what they are thinking of him. And the UNSC paired him up with the one person that Felix couldn’t read no matter how hard he tried. 

He was terrified of his partner Locus, but he wouldn’t admit that. Instead, he would shrug everything off with a forced laugh throughout the day while at night he would ask the taller man questions in an attempt to better understand. So far, it has yet to work. 

“Felix? What’s your position?” Locus’ voice came through the radio in his helmet. 

“Uh- like my coordinates? I have no idea.” He bit back laughter knowing his newly assigned partner hated how unprofessional he is on the field. 

They’ve done two battle simulations every week since Felix showed up with the new recruits. The first one was everyone for themselves- see how the newbies do on their own when placed in battle. The following day they were placed into groups of four and put into another simulation with orders to work with their groups to get through whatever task was thrown at them. And then the day after that the teams of four became teams of two as the commanders placed those with one person in their group that they worked best with. 

Felix ranked high in the first simulation. He was upfront in the fake battle, using the close range weapons that he was familiar with to fight. The second time his team didn’t do so well. Their teamwork wasn’t as successful as the commanding officers thought it would be. They went into the field and went off on their own for the most part. The third day of being a UNSC soldier, Felix was placed with the quietest member of their team. They were the only two on the team that somewhat worked together. Locus used one of the rubber bullets to shoot an attacker with a sniper when Felix had his back turned. 

“Is there anything wrong?” 

“Nope, nothing at all.” 

“You’re lying,” Locus said. “Where are you?” 

“Nowhere and nothing is wrong. I can deal with it.” 

“Stay there,” Locus instructed. “I’m coming to get you.” 

Felix isn’t sure how Locus knew where he was, but he was found in a matter of minutes. Locus knelt down next to Felix who was sitting on the ground with one leg stretched out and the other bent. 

“What’s wrong? And don’t tell me nothing.” 

“I think I twisted my ankle when I was running up here,” Felix said. “I didn’t hear anything snap, but it’s sore and I can’t stand on it for long periods of time.” 

“Come on, I’ll carry you.” 

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll be fine eventually.” 

“You aren’t sitting here for two weeks while your ankle heals. Just try to stand.” Locus helped Felix stand up and as soon as he was standing, he tried to back away from Locus. 

“You can trust me, I’m not going to do anything.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

“If you’re scared I’m going to do something like your exboyfriend or whatever, I’m not,” Locus said. “I’m just trying to help you get to the medics.” 

“How do you know about my exgirlfriend?” 

“You talk so much, you even talk in your sleep,” Locus laughs at his joke for a short moment before returning to his normal, indifferent composure. “But seriously, I’m taking you to the medic tent.” 

“Whatever.” 

Suddenly, Felix wasn’t so scared of his partner. Maybe it was the sweet gesture of making sure he receives help with his ankle or being so calm about his ex. Either way, he felt more comfortable around Locus.


	84. Felix/Wash-"What would I do without you?"

There is blood soaking into the beige carpet, the obnoxious orange curtains are torn up at the bottom, and the picture frame of Wash and Felix on the wall has glass shards falling off of it. In the midst of the wreckage Felix’s apartment is Felix himself lying on the carpet. It’s obvious the large blood stain is coming from him, but Wash hopes the smaller spots littering the apartment are not his. If they are, Felix has lost enough blood to justify a visit to the nearest emergency room. 

Wash drops his bag at the door and rushes to Felix who appears to just be waking up. He looks around at everything that is broken and/or ruined. When he notices the blood stain where his head just was, he quickly pulls on of his hands to his head where he can feel new and dried blood in his hair and running down his face. 

“Is it bad?” 

“I don’t know Felix, you need to move your hand,” Wash said. 

His stomach drops when he sees the cut on Felix’s head. From the looks of it, it shouldn’t need stitches, but he won’t know for sure until he cleans it up. 

“Come on, we’ll go to the bathroom to clean this up. Can you walk?” 

Felix nods and grips Wash’s arms tightly as he stands. His entire body is trembling and he worries about how he can’t feel anything. His vision goes back and for from fuzzy to clear. He stumbles forward and falls onto Wash. 

“Wash? I’m scared, I’m so scared.” Felix scrunches up Wash’s shirt and starts to cry. 

He can’t make sense of what happened or why he can’t feel anything. He feels as though the walls are closing in on him and the air is becoming harder to breathe. His vision returns to being fuzzy, but doesn’t phase back to being clear all while his hearing becomes just as fuzzy as his vision. He can no longer feel Wash against him which only scares him more. 

Felix shuts down. He feels like he is falling. Maybe he is, he can’t tell. He shuts his eyes tightly because he can’t stand the fuzziness anymore. He knows he is crying, but he can’t stop himself. He knows he has to wait it out, but doesn’t want to. Who would? It feels torturous. 

For all Felix knows, it could have been minutes or an hour before he regained his senses. He is curled up on the floor and Wash is staring at him from a few feet away. 

“Are you okay? Can you talk? We really need to clean your head,” Wash said. He stays where he is so he doesn’t overwhelm Felix.

Felix opens his mouth to say something, but shuts it and shakes his head. He isn’t sure what to say. He isn’t okay, he doesn’t know if he can talk, and he is terrified to tell Wash anything that happened. 

He was one day late for a run and he found himself being attacked as soon as he got him from his classes. He had it come it, he knew he did. It was his third late run, the warning after the second should have scared him enough not to do it again, but college got in the way as it always does. 

Seeing his employer in his living room made him regret ever skipping that one day in high school. He was a stellar student in high school- receiving high scores without ever having to try. College was going in a similar fashion, but he studied a bit more just to keep his scholarship. 

His story was one that many of the students around him had, which didn’t make him special. And he was thankful for that because he never wanted to stand out. 

He grew up in a sketchy neighbourhood known for drugs and drive-bys. His father walked out on his family when his younger twin sisters were born, and he was forced to become the parent of the household when his mother stopped caring. He raised his three sisters the best he could while also handling school and a part-time job. He graduated at the top of his class and was offered many different scholarships to prestigious universities, but turned all of them down. He took the scholarship for a local community college and took out a loan to rent an apartment. 

He has only skipped one day of school in his life. It was one week before final exams and he was as stressed as a person could be. He asked to go to the bathroom in the middle of his math class and just walked out of the building. 

While taking the back roads to his house, he passed a drug deal going on. He only saw a second of the exchange, but the dealer wouldn’t let him go easily. Felix spent ten minutes with a gun to his chest trying to tell the man he wouldn’t tell anyone. There wasn’t a reason for him to tell any cops, they wouldn’t do anything anyway, they never did. The only way the dealer would let him leave was if Felix worked for him, so he said yes. He had a family at home that needs him alive, and he didn’t think the employment would last as long as it has. 

He stayed close to home for college. His sisters believe it was to stay closer to them, which wasn’t a complete lie, but he needed to make sure the dealer he now worked under didn’t do anything to them. He got the apartment to be sure nothing of his work could be traced to his sisters. 

Within the first two weeks of college, Felix met Wash. The rich student that had no business attending the community college was mind boggling to Felix. And the fact that he took interest in Felix was even more confusing. Their relationship started soon after meeting and for the longest time, Felix was able to hide his association with drugs from Wash. 

His newest beating came with new threats though. Threats towards his sisters and threats towards Wash. He had no idea the dealer knew anything about Wash. He worked so hard to keep Wash a secret to ensure that didn’t happen. But now Wash has a target hanging about his head and one slip-up on Felix’s end could end tragically for him.

“Felix.” Wash snapped in front of his face. “Focus on me, okay? You probably have a concussion, so you also need to stay awake. Do you think you can do that?” 

“Yes,” He whispered. 

“This is going to hurt,” Wash warned before spraying disinfectant onto Felix’s injury. Felix bit his lip as the spray caused the cut to burn. The pain of the injury was coming to him slowly and hurt more than any injury he has ever had. 

“Don’t move. I’m going to see what I can do about this.” 

“Dr. Washington,” Felix mocks weakly. 

“Oh shut up, I told you: I don’t want to be a doctor anymore,” Wash laughed to try and keep the playful mood. He didn’t want Felix to freak out again. “I’m thinking about becoming a teacher now.” 

“You don’t have the patience for that. Try engineering.” 

“I’ll think about it.” Wash continued to prod Felix’s head. Cleaning and fixing would be two very different things in this situation, he can’t just slap on a bandaid and call it a day. “I was trying to avoid this, but you might need to go to the hospital.”

“What would I ever do without you?” 

“You’d lie in your pile of blood in the living room until you decided to do something about it.” 

“Fair enough.”


	85. Carolina/South- "I just want to help"

South walks past her bedroom after just waking up. It’s day three of sleeping in the guest room to give Carolina her own space. She recently came home on her first military leave in almost a year and was happier than South has seen her in a long time. She was going out with friends and seemingly enjoying herself. 

On the fifth day of her three week leave, she crashed. She wouldn’t get out of bed, she wouldn’t talk to South, it was as if she was no longer a person. South panicked and called just about everyone she knew. North told her to give her a day because she could be tired, York said give it an hour, and Maine said to leave her be for the time being, that Carolina would tell her what’s wrong when she was ready to. 

So South gave her space in the hope that Carolina would get out of bed. But she didn’t, and South was worried about her. She woke up in bed next to Carolina and tried to talk to her by asking if she felt better. The only reply she received was a small “leave me alone” and Carolina rolling over to face the wall. 

South told Carolina she would make breakfast downstairs, but instead she went outside of their apartment and called North in tears. All he had to say was the same thing he said when South first told him Carolina wasn’t being herself: give her time. South was almost scared to give Carolina space, she was unsure of what would happen if she did. Granted, Carolina won’t leave the bed, but it’s still scary to think of what she would do while in the mindset she seemed to be in. 

As soon as North hung up, South tapped on Wash’s contact to call him. She cursed herself for not thinking of calling him sooner. Wash grew up with Carolina, maybe he knew what was happening. 

“Hello?” 

“Carolina isn’t herself,” She said. “She has been lying in bed for three days and she hasn’t been eating or drinking or talking. I’m worried about her.” 

“Has she been taking her medicine?” 

“She takes medicine?” South felt like a terrible person for not knowing her girlfriend took any kind of medicine. They’ve been dating for about eight months after meeting in the military. The day after they met they exchanged phone numbers before returning to their military jobs. Their relationship has been long distance, but Carolina came to South’s apartment because South’s leave started a week before her own. 

“Yeah, she is bipolar. I thought you knew,” Wash said. 

“No! She never told me. How can I get her to take her medicine?”

“You have to force her- literally fight her. She’ll eventually give in and restart her routine of taking them every day. Just don’t bring up our parents! She gets it from her dad, but she doesn’t like hearing about our mom when she is like this.” 

“Okay, thank you,” South said. 

“No problem, just tell me how it goes, yeah?” 

She hung up and went into their bedroom where Carolina hasn’t moved since she left. She doesn’t want to jump straight to fighting, so she sits on the edge of the bed and lies her hand on Carolina’s legs. 

“Hey, I just got off the phone with Wash,” She spoke calmly and slowly. “He said you’re bipolar and that you have medicine for it. Also mentioned that if you’re acting like this that you aren’t taking it.” 

“Tell him to fuck off.” Her voice was scratchy from not being used in days, but South was glad to hear it. 

“Noted,” South laughed. “But in all seriousness, will you please take your medicine? I just want to help.” 

“No, I don’t want to.” 

“‘Lina please! Just take them so you can be yourself again.” 

“This is me being myself! The meds just change me, I don’t want to take them.” 

“You’re still yourself when you take medicine. You become a happier version of yourself. I’m not as worried about you then because you aren’t acting like this,” South said. 

“You just want to change me,” Carolina finally rolled over in bed to face South. 

“I just want what’s best for you.” 

The argument continued as such for almost thirty minutes. It ended when Carolina accidentally let it slip that she ran out of pill a week ago. South dragged her to the car and made an appointment while she drove to the nearest clinic. 

“You don’t have to do this,” Carolina muttered angrily. 

“Yes I do, I want to help.”


	86. Locus/Felix/Wash/Sharkface-"You're important, too."

Three weeks. 

It has been three weeks since they all decided to ask Wash to join their relationship. Week one was slow, but week two gave proof to how haing Wash changed them. Locus was more relaxed, Felix was working more, and Dante didn’t notice anything change for him. By the end of week two he felt neglected but refused to bring it up because he didn’t want to ruin the fun for the other three 

Instead he left. At the beginning of week three he packed a single suit case of his stuff and texted his sister that he might need a room. He left the packed suitcase open in the closet hoping one of the others would see it and prompt a conversation where he could bring up his thoughts without bringing them up himself. Dante knew they all saw it at least once, but none of them said anything. 

He felt terrible knowing they didn’t care. It made his chest feel like it was containing flames and it made his head pound with a headache worse than any other he has had. He wants to scream at all of them. Tell them they are ignoring him or tell them they should just be honest if they don’t love him anymore. Anything would be better than the silence he received instead. 

Now he stood in his sister’s living room at two in the morning. 

He lied in bed with the other three for hours waiting to make sure they wouldn’t wake up. He wanted to savor the feeling of sleeping next to the ones he loved. He lied closest the window with Felix’s back against his chest, Locus and Wash would mirror them. Wash and Felix always hand their hands touching the other in some form. Dante’s current lock screen on his phone was a picture he took of the two of them holding hands while they were sleeping. Dante kept one arm under Felix’s neck and with that hand, he kept a loose touch on Wash’s shoulder so he would know that Dante was still there in the night. His other arm was draped across Felix’s waist and that hand was under Locus’ whose arm was in a similar position with Wash. 

He managed to slip out of bed and only wake Wash up. He was expecting for it to be Felix considering he could sleep through anything other than one of his boyfriends getting out of bed. Wash asked where he was going, he replied bathroom before walking to the bathroom. He stayed there for ten minutes, knowing Wash would be back asleep by then.

When he left the bathroom, he silently grabbed his bag and left without leaving a note. He was originally going to leave a note, but he decided against it at the last second. He crumpled up the paper and shoved it into his bag. He isn’t even sure when he would leave in a note. He wasn’t sure he would be coming back. He’d have to eventually to retrieve the rest of his stuff, but that would be while the other three were out of the house. 

But that didn’t matter right now. Right now, he just wanted to crash in the guest bedroom set up for him by his sister. He felt like he was dragging himself into the room. He felt like the farther away he was from the other three, the less energy he had. 

He told himself that was ridiculous and he was just tired before collapsing on the bed to sleep. 

~

It was three _more_ weeks he saw one of them again. They had been texting and calling almost nonstop since he left. At first they were all about how worried they were, but when they realized he was reading them and not responding they calmed down a bit. Now Wash and Felix would just text him about their day as their day happened. Locus would send him “good morning” and “Goodnight” texts with two phone calls that went unanswered everyday. 

He managed to avoid them up until this point. He took the night shift at work because he knew they would try and see him there and he only left his sister’s house when it was absolutely necessary. But his manager called him six hours after his shift ended to inform him that a man was there and was refusing to leave until he saw Dante. 

He didn’t have a choice at that point. He put on the last set of clothes he’d be able to wear before having to do laundry and drove to work being sure to take the long way there. 

Upon arriving, he recognized Felix’s car sitting in the parking lot of the mechanic shop Dante was currently working at. He could see Felix sitting on the checkout counter annoying both the customers and employees. 

“-So like I was saying, he is really smart. Could do a lot better than working here, but fixing things is what he likes to do so I’m not gonna stop him,” Felix rambled on about Dante. 

“Felix.” 

“Oh! There he is! I’ll see you guys later, him and I need to have a chat.” Felix hopped off the counter and pulled Dante out of the shop gently knowing he wouldn’t need to use force because Dante would never physically fight with him. 

“Why are you here?” 

“Why are you not home? We are all worried about you! I had to sneak out to come here and wait for you. Lo and Wash are scared that I’m gonna leave ‘em next,” Felix said. 

“Why?” 

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you walked out for no reason!” He yelled. “If you’re going to leave for no reason, what’s stopping the rest of us?” 

“I had a reason,” He said quietly in hopes Felix wouldn’t hear him. He wanted to get his argument in but also wanted this conversation to stop. 

“Then what was it?” 

“It doesn’t matter.” 

“Yes it does! At the very least tell me so I can tell when the others are going to leave me,” Felix said. He was truly angry, Dante can’t remember the last time he saw Felix this angry. 

“Get your shit together and come home. We miss you.” His voice was low and quiet as he spoke. He didn’t wait for Dante to say anything before he turned around and walk to his car. Dante mimicked his actions and went back to his temporary home. 

~ 

The next day he got home from the night shift and just wanted to go to bed. He passed his sister who was sipping coffee with a smirk on her face. 

“What?” 

“Nothing, nothing,” She said. “You need a nap, I’ll see you later.” 

“Later.” He walked into his room and immediately wishes he didn’t leave work. On his bed is a selfie of all four of them from when they went to a water park. They were soaking wet and they all looked happy. Dante finds himself missing the happiness from the memory. On the bedside table was a vase of violets, his favorite flower, and a note with Locus’ awful handwriting on it. 

He sat down on his bed and put the picture where the note was as he picked it up to read. It was describing that day as if he forgot. But the ending shocked him the most.

 _I really miss you, we all do. You need to come home so we can fix this. None of us now why you left. I saw the bag. No one thought you would actually leave. Please come home._

It was in short choppy sentences. The same way Locus talks when he is trying not to cry. Locus crying was rare, but when it happens, it breaks Dante’s heart. Everyone has weak points, but it takes a lot to get Locus to a breaking point. 

[To Locus:]  
I got your letter and flowers, thank you

[From Locus]  
Are you coming home?

[To Locus:]  
I don’t know. 

~

Four days later he woke up with someone in his bed. He panicked. He knows he would never sleep with some random person, but he couldn’t recognize who was currently in his bed. 

It took all of his focus, but he managed to get over the fear of the unknown and open his eyes. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was just Wash staring back at him. 

“Let me guess,” He said, finally reaching the end of his rope. “You want to know why I left.” 

“I already know why. I wanted to tell you I’m sorry. I know you’ve been with Felix and Locus for years, but then I walk in and get all the attention. It took me a while to figure out why you were gone, but I feel terrible now that I figured it out. You’re important, too, ya know? We aren’t the same without you there. We need you, Dante, please come home. We won’t exclude you again. We’ll do anything to have you back.” 

Dante stood up and walked towards his closet. 

“What are you doing?” Wash asked. 

“I need to get my stuff before we leave.”


	87. Doc/Donut- "Call me if you want to talk."

Looking back on the past two years, Donut should have checked before he spewed all of his thoughts into the sky from the roof that his window gave access to. When he was a sophomore, he started sitting out there while he did homework. Yelling at his chemistry homework was more satisfying when he could yell as loud as he wanted. There is no need for an inside voice if he was outside. 

After a year, he started going onto his roof to just talk about whatever was running through his head while staring at the stars. 

Now, the summer before his senior year of high school, he walks out to his roof and there is an envelope with his name on it taped to the scaffolding. It’s right on the edge, making it obvious it was his neighbour that left it there. 

Doc was a college student, only a year older than Donut, that spent a lot of time this summer packing to go to medical school. Donut vaguely recalls one of his moms saying something about how Doc wanted to be work at a pediatric hospital. 

This letter wouldn’t have been concerning if it wasn’t for the fact that Donut has never spoken to Doc. They’ve never had a conversation that consisted of more than small talk. He doesn’t know the first thing about Doc- not even his first name. Doc came from their mutual friends. 

Regardless, he opens the letter. If it’s here for him, he might as well read it. 

_Donut,_

_This sounds really creepy, but I’ve heard you talk on your roof for what feels like forever. It’s not like I ever waited for you to get onto the roof and start talking, it just happened to always happen when I was studying or sitting in my room._

_Anyway, I leave for college today while you’re at the job you mentioned starting the other night. (I hope it goes well for you!) But before you started going on about your new job, you were talking about how you didn’t know if you wanted to go to college. I’ll be at college (obviously), so I thought I would write this letter and give you my number incase you had any questions or you just wanted to rant._

_Doc_

At the bottom of the letter is Doc’s phone number written in much neater handwriting than the rest, he must have wanted it to be legible so Donut didn’t misread it. 

Donut pulled his phone from his back pocket and dialed the number. 

“Hello?”

“So like I was saying yesterday…”


	88. "See you later."

Implantation was tomorrow and Wash couldn’t think of any other way to get out of it. He has tried just about everything- nothing has worked. The Director wants him to have this AI, and this AI only. 

Wash doesn’t know much about AIs, other than what his friends have told him. North and York were the more fortunate of the group. Theta and Delta have yet to cause any severe problems for the soldiers. Wyoming had Gamma, which was odd considering they seemed good for each other, even if Wyoming’s personality changed after getting the AI. It was Maine and Carolina who were put in the worst position. Maine still has chronic headaches from when Sigma was implanted, and Carolina was still on bedrest after only having her AI for a few days. 

He was told he would be given Epsilon. Wash wishes he knew more about the AI being forced upon him, but all he knew is that he is supposed to have all the memories. Memories didn’t seem like something Wash would need on the field, but the Director insists this is the AI for him. 

Nobody seems to agree with him. 

No one had a bigger problem with him having Epsilon than Tex. She had never really spoken to Wash unless it was dire. And he doesn’t blame her, CT told him who she was. The uncomfortable air surrounding the both of them was mutual. 

Three days after it became common knowledge that Epsilon would be given to Wash, Tex stopped him as he was about to leave the locker room. 

“Hey, we need to talk.” 

“About what?” He said. 

“You need to fight the Director about Epsilon. Epsilon’s messed up, you don’t want him in your head.”

“I’ve been telling everyone that I don’t want the AI! Even Carolina went to talk him out of it, he won’t! He still holds a grudge from when I was a kid, it wasn’t my fault!” 

“Calm down,” She said. “I know it wasn’t your fault, but he is _stubborn._ Just, don’t let them implant you with Epsilon. What you think you know now is less than half the shit Epsilon is going to tell you. You do not want him.” 

“Why are you trying to help me?” He asked. 

“Despite what you and Carolina think, I do care about you guys. It’s in my systems to do so because of who I am.” 

“Who you’re based on,” Wash corrected. 

“I’m more than that now.” 

“Whatever,” He said. “I have to go. Thanks for the advice, I guess.” 

“Be careful, Wash.” 

He went to his room silently. Maine was asleep on his bed, Wash should have been asleep an hour ago, but he stayed after for extra training. If he was actually going to get stuck with Epsilon, he would be put on bedrest for at least two days. Carolina was the only one who managed to get out of it, but that was only because of her feud with the Director.

He doesn’t think he’ll have the same luck. 

~

The next morning Wash was woken up early by all of the freelancers. South dumped a cup of water on him as soon as he opened his eyes. If he had to guess, it was to wake him up, but Wash was a light sleeper so the sound of all of them entering the room woke him up just fine.

“Why?” 

“To wake you up?” South laughed. 

“You get your AI today, be more excited,” York said. 

“Actually, York-” 

“Not now, Delta.” 

“I still don’t want Epsilon. I talked to Tex last night-”

“You talked to her?” Carolina yelled. 

“She talked to me,” Wash said. “Anyway, she said Epsilon was really messed up; that he knew stuff that no one else was supposed to know.” 

“You’re just worrying,” North said. “Don’t worry about it, everything will be fine.” 

“I hope so.” 

~

When it came time for Wash to be taken to the hospital bay, he wasn’t having any of it. He was screaming at his friends to help him while he kicked at the soldiers carrying him closer to where Epsilon was waiting. None of them dared to do anything, knowing if they did, there would be consequences. They weren’t allowed to show any sign of friendship on this ship without being reminded they were just a squad of soldiers and nothing else. 

“Carolina! Help me! Don’t let them do this!” He cried as the soldiers held his arms back. 

Instead of helping, she took a step away from the scene with everyone else. They all looked at him with pity. He was the youngest of them all, but was apparently receiving the most dangerous AI. Even Carolina who recovered from two AIs didn’t think he would be entirely the same after he was given Epsilon. 

“Please!” He yelled again. 

Two more soldiers walked up, one with a needle and the other empty handed. The one took off Wash’s helmet while the other pushed the needle into his neck, calming him down in seconds. 

“We’ll see you later, Wash.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been trying to post on Sundays, and kinda messed that up this week because I was fighting with my tumblr themes all last night, so I posted two today. Sorry about that lmao 
> 
> Also just thought I would mention that I've had this idea about Wash since like chapter 23 when I wrote about him getting Epsilon. And here I am, like a year later, finally writing it. 
> 
> Anyway, I take requests (if you have one that you don't want in this book, I'll write those too !!) and all that stuff, so dont be afraid to ask!! Thanks for reading !! <333


	89. "I noticed."

Carolina knows she is the leader of blue team, but she views it more from a technical standpoint. She was there to teach and run all the drills and missions they had to go on. She wasn’t the best at the emotional support these soldiers sometimes need. Even when she was team leader in Project Freelancer, she wasn’t always there emotionally for her team. 

She always figured it was because of her upbringing. Her entire family was reserved, she was taught to keep to herself. That mentality just happened to follow her until now. 

Out of leaders blue team has had in the past, Wash was the one best fit to deal with any help the team needed outside of a battle situation. Carolina doesn’t quite understand it, but he was. Church and herself were too technical for the role of therapist, but Wash fit perfectly. 

But now that the team needed that role, Wash was out on a mission with the reds. Leaving Carolina to help Caboose out of the funk he was in. 

He was out of it all through training. He was listening to all the directions, following them perfectly without anything to say. Though that’s the ideal soldier for Carolina, that wasn’t the type of person Caboose (or any of the reds and blue, for that matter) were. 

She waited until the end of practice to say anything. When everyone was leaving to go to the showers, she called for him to stay back. 

“Caboose, what’s going on? Why were you so quiet?” 

“Well,” He sighed. “I’ve been really upset.” 

“Yeah, I noticed. Do you want to tell me why you’re upset?” 

“I miss my family. I haven’t seen them in a long time. You and all the others are like my new family, but I still miss all my sisters. All of them! Catie, Rebecca, Rachel, Michelle-” 

“Okay, okay, you don’t need to list them all out. I know you miss them,” She interrupted, but noticed how harsh she sounded. 

“How about I find a way for you to record a message for your sisters? They wouldn’t be able to respond, but you could send a video message telling them you’re all right and you miss them?” 

“You can do that?” His body perked up when he heard her offer. 

“Yeah, I’ll see what I can do.” 

“Thank you so much! You’re the best, Carolina!” He hugged her tightly. It reminded her of Maine’s hugs that he would give out if someone was upset. It reminded her that the reds and blues were her family now. 

“No problem,” She said. “Now go clean up and meet everyone for lunch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So don't quote me on this later, but I think I'll be able to update like two (?? Maybe 3) more times this week. I'm on spring break and I've done nothing but catch up on writing, so a lot of work in progress things are being finished. 
> 
> So I'll have one thing posted later today (or early tomorrow) and then another posted tomorrow and then I think I'm going to post one more after that before school starts again on Monday. 
> 
> btw this chapter isn't the best, I was trying to get past it so I could go to the next one lmao


	90. Tucker/Wash- "You can tell me anything."

“Are you sure about this? I don’t know if you’re exactly true soldier material,” Wash said. 

“Oh please, I have the alien sword, remember?” Tucker waves around the key as if he was showing he didn’t make it up. “True soldier, right here.” 

“Just, be careful.” 

“When am I not careful?” 

“More than you think,” Wash sighs. 

Tucker jumps into the alien portal before anyone tries to convince him not to. He could tell Wash was on the verge of making Tucker stay back so he could go instead, but Tucker was sure he’d be the true soldier. However many years as a soldier was enough proof for him. 

“Alright, portal, do your worst,” He called into the empty space.

There wasn’t a vocal answer like he originally expected, but instead a scene started to build up around him. It reminded him of the two years he spent in theatre while in high school. At the time, nothing was cooler than watching how the stage workers could build a scene in the two minutes before the actors returned to the stage. He was in charge of the lights and soundboards only because he couldn’t see himself memorizing all the lines or positions the props needed to be in. 

Just as he thought he would be motion sick, his surroundings stopped shifting. He was standing in a bedroom without any of his armor on. He was in the clothes he would wear lounging around the base in the New Republic. 

The carpet he was standing on felt foreign as he walked around the room. He has become so accustomed to cement, metal, or dirt that the softness feels out of place. The bedroom didn’t have much, it looked like the bedroom Tucker used to have in his apartment. He thinks about how he should have done something with his apartment before joining the UNSC, but it’s a little late for that now. 

He wanders out of the bedroom and into the upstairs hallway. There is a bathroom and then two more door in the hallway. One has “Junior” written in neat cursive (meaning Tucker didn’t write it) on the door. A sigh of relief escapes him knowing whatever universe or hell this is meant to be that his son is still alive. 

He didn’t bother to peek in the room, thinking that what he imagines Junior’s room would look like would be much better than what an alien portal could come up with. However, he does walk into the other unmarked door. 

The first thing he notices is the dark wood crib pushed against the far wall. Above it, written in the same neat cursive, is “Connie” written in a dark purple. The wall behind it is a much lighter pink that Tucker feels like he picked out. The wall the door is on has a dresser and a closet with toys falling from the open doors. The room isn’t clean by any means, but it looks perfect- it’s a comforting space. 

“I need to get out of here,” Tucker mumbles before he closes the door. He reminds himself he is the true soldier and is on some sort of mission. 

He ventures downstairs where the living room and kitchen reside. They are both cleaned spotless, but still hold the comfort the nursery upstairs had. A feeling Tucker can’t put words too builds up in his stomach as he looks around at the pictures hanging on the walls in the living room. 

There are a few of the reds and blues- in and out of armor- hanging up. One of Tucker, Caboose, and Church looks very old, and Tucker knows it’s from before they all separated at Blood Gulch. He forced the other two blues to take the picture with him before he was picked up. He carries the picture around in his armor in case he is ever separated from his team. Was tried to make fun of it once, but as soon as Tucker brought up the picture Wash has of North and York, he stopped. 

The picture that boggles his mind the most is one of him, Wash, Junior, and a baby. He assumes the baby’s name is Connie from the nursery. The picture looks like it was taken in the hallway of a hospital. Wash and Tucker look exhausted like they were awake the entire night, but Junior looks well rested. He doesn’t quite know the situation, but they all look happy so it must have been worth the exhaustion. 

The more Tucker looks around the house, the more he doesn’t want to leave. He comes to the conclusion that he shares the house with Wash and Junior and Connie must be their kids. The pictures on the wall of the reds and blues without their armor show them to be no older than when they took down the Director. Their ship must have made it back instead of crashing on Chorus then. 

He realizes that this must be the challenge the portal present. The portal shows him what he wants, but can’t have. Tucker has mentioned for months that as soon as the civil war is over he wants to finally leave the army and be a family with Wash and Junior. Sure he has Wash, but Junior isn’t with them, they are still fighting a war, and they don’t live the domestic life Tucker was seeking. 

In whatever universe the portal is showing him right now, he has that. Why would he want to leave? 

As if the portal knew he caught onto what was happening, he was back into the emptiness he was in before the house formed around him. It isn’t long before he is thrown out of the portal. 

“Tucker! What did you see?” Carolina starts grilling him for answers. 

“No, no, no!” His voice got louder each time he said it. “I want to go back! This isn’t fair!” 

“What did you see?” She stressed each word. 

“I-I-I saw-” 

“Carolina, give him a minute.” Wash pulls Carolina away from Tucker. “I’ll talk to him, in private. He might be more willing to speak than if you’re in his face.” 

Wash leads Tucker a few yards away from the group so they can’t hear their conversation. 

“Are you okay? What did you see? Why did you want to go back?” Tucker looked like he wanted nothing more than to pour his thoughts out to Wash, but he wouldn’t speak. 

“C’mon, you can tell me anything. What did you see?” 

“It was perfect, Wash. We lived together with Junior and a baby girl named Connie. I was in our house and I didn’t see anyone, but I saw all the pictures and most of the rooms. It was exactly what I wanted,” He said. 

“Connie?” 

“Yeah, I’m not completely in tune with the name, so you must have named her. But she was so cute in the picture! She had dark brown hair and eyes, and her skin was a little darker than yours, but still pretty pale. And Junior was, well he was Junior. Alien and all, but he looked older, but was definitely happy. And you! You were smiling! And not even that fake smile you have when Caboose tells a joke, but a real smile. You were happy, I was happy, we were all happy!” 

“Okay, okay,” Wash said. “Calm down. It sounds amazing, but that’s not where we are.” 

“But-” 

“Maybe one day, but for now, we need to focus on ending this war. As soon as it’s over, we’ll see about that. But we need to focus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am like a year late to this idea, but I rewatched seasons 11-13 recently
> 
> Also! @HaLoReAcHgIrL this isn't your prompt, this was the tuckington I already had written. I'm posting your prompt tomorrow! <3
> 
> I've also noticed I use these note things a lot more that I ever have, so like thanks to everyone for not commenting that it's annoying lmao <33


	91. Tucker/Wash- "Take a deep breath."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the prompt fill thing for @HaLoReAcHgIrL so I hope you like it!! <333

For four years, the halftime show at the football games have been the time for Wash to relax. As running back, he spends a lot of time on the field and the half hour break gives him time to catch his breath. The couch always hounds him to spend more of the time in the locker room so he can take off the shoulder pads for a bit, but instead Wash spends his time standing on the track watching the band preform. 

He started going to every varsity football game his freshman year when he was still on the junior varsity team. He was the youngest on the team and would brag about it anytime he was given the chance. The next year he was put on varsity, so he wasn’t in the bleachers but with the football team. 

The halftime show is when he stops to watch Tucker preform with the band. They started dating two weeks before they started high school. They were both at the school for practice, and it happened to be that their lunches started at the same time. 

They spoke no more than a few words before they were annoyed with each other. But Tucker seeked out Wash every day during lunch anyways. He claimed it was lack of friends in band and Wash never bothered to argue with him. Their relationship started after three weeks of lunch together. And since then, they’ve been inseparable. Any moment they can be together, they are. 

Which means Wash spends his break from the game watching Tucker preform. He has only ever missed two halftime shows. The first was the first football game because he hadn’t started his routine of going yet, and the second was at the end of the season his junior year. He fell during the game and broke his wrist. The coach wouldn’t let him leave from the onsite ambulance while the paramedic put a makeshift cast on his wrist. 

Once Tucker finished performing and ran over to where Wash was sitting. His parents were on their way to the stadium so they could take him to the emergency room to get a real cast. Tucker told the band directors he was leaving and that he would bring the uniform back the next day for the competition. That night, Tucker and Wash sat in the emergency room for two hours in their uniforms. 

“You watch this every Friday, how is it not boring yet?” Church, one of Wash’s teammates, asked. 

“There are about a million things going on in the show, it’s not hard to find something new to look at.” 

“But you’re only looking at Tucker,” Church said. “Though I can’t blame you, he looks so much better than he did freshman year.” 

“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop talking about him like that.” 

“Like what? Pointing out how hot your boyfriend is? I figured you’d agree.” 

“Stop it.” Wash clenched his fist. He knew Church was just trying to bother him, he has been since Wash got a spot as captain on the team and Church didn’t. The only downside it that Church knew exactly what he needed to say to get under Wash’s skin and he was good at doing so. 

“Or what?” 

Wash’s fist almost comes in contact with Church’s face, but two of his other teammates pull him back before he gets the chance. The coach jogs over, takes on look at the smug face Church is sporting, and pulls him aside. Wash’s teammates don’t let go of him, knowing he is still angry at Church, but they do loosen their grip. 

“What was that? You know you can’t start fights!” 

“He was-” 

“Nobody cares what he said, you were about to start a fight.” 

“Whatever,” Wash mumbles. He turns his attention back to the field where the band is finishing the show. 

The show ends with a trumpet solo played by Tucker. Wash remembers the week straight he spent practicing it. Through just about anything they did that week, Tucker had his trumpet in case he had a few minutes of free time to practice. The worst instance was when they were waiting for their food at a restaurant- they would have been kicked out if Wash couldn’t convince the manager not to. 

The band marches off the field and pools on the sideline to watch the other band preform. Tucker walks over to Wash to stand next to him through the performance like he always does. Wash pries his arms out from his teammates’ hold to unzip Tucker’s uniform. After asking at every game for four years, Wash comes to expect that Tucker will want the jacket off after performing. 

“Your solo was perfect,” Wash compliments. 

“Not even close, I almost cracked the last note.” 

“But you didn’t.” 

“Why were they holding you?” Tucker is quick to change the subject, knowing he could go on about how his solo was less than perfect. 

“I almost fought with Church again,” Wash said. “But he was talking about you!” 

“Okay? He isn’t going to do anything, he’s been saying that stuff all year. He’s just jealous that you’re team captain and he isn’t. Getting in a fight would not do you any favors.” 

“Yes, mom,” Wash mocks. 

“What have I told you about that?” Tucker laughs. “But seriously, stop with the fights, you will get in trouble for them eventually. Take a deep breath and walk away.” 

“I still don’t think he should be talk about you, though.” 

“You don’t need to defend my honor,” Tucker said. 

“Debatable.”


	92. Grif/Simmons- "I want you to be happy."

The last time Grif’s life had an unexpected change was when he drafted for the UNSC. He was accepted into the ivy league college he only ever dreamed of, but the letter right after his acceptance letter in the stack Kai handed him was the letter informing him he would be drafted. The UNSC had never shown interest in needing new soldiers- and if they did, they would normally raise the amount of ads, but instead the started drafting. Grif spent the four months before he would be deployed finding new living arrangements for his sister. 

It’s been years since then, but nothing in his time of the military had shocked him. He was the first on the team to figure things out, meaning not much came as a surprise. He knew Church was an AI after he came back to life the first time, he knew Carolina was the Director’s daughter, and he knew them crashing on Chorus was not an accident. 

The only thing he has not expected was sitting in the war room with the reds when Simmons made it clear he was not dating Simmons. Sarge made a stale joke of how they were so close they might as well be married and Simmons used that time to make it clear they weren’t together. 

“What?” Grif nearly drops the food he is holding. 

“You couldn’t possibly think we were together, right? It’s been how many years?” 

“Our five year anniversary would have been in three weeks,” Grif said. 

“You thought this for five years! How have you not noticed? We’ve never kissed or anything!” 

“You don’t like people touching you, so I always gave you space. I mean we’ve shared a bed at every base and we’re always sent on missions together. You gave up your organs for me!” 

“Grif,” Simmons sighed. “Just stop, we aren’t dating.” 

“Okay, I’m gonna go out for a bit. I’ll be back later.” Grif sets down his plate of food and grabs his helmet as he walked out of the base. 

His first instinct is to go to Kimball. She has been the go-to person for talking since they joined the war. The only problem he had with that was the fact that she didn’t know the whole story. She, like most of the people Grif knew, thought they were dating as well. She once asked if they were married. Grif responded with a hopeful “not yet” at the time, but he can’t see that happening now. And to think he had plans of taking Simmons back to the Vegas quadrant after the civil war because he enjoyed it so much the last time they went. 

He had walked away from where red base was currently being held, but still had nowhere to go. The training hall was nearby, and he considers going before he decides it’d be a good way to get his mind away from Simmons. 

“Going to train? That’s unlike you,” Church said from Carolina’s shoulder as they walked past Grif. 

“Fuck off.” He continued towards the training hall. 

Fortunately, the only person there was Tucker. He took a day off after rescuing the others, but after that he jumped back into training everyday. Grif wasn’t sure if it was the routine Wash had started while they were stuck in the canyon or if it was a conscious decision. 

“And what brings you here?” Tucker put his gun down. 

“Apparently Simmons and I aren’t dating.” 

“Dude, he broke up with you? That’s terrible! Do you want me to have Wash talk to him? Wahs is really good at convincing people-” 

“No,” Grif interrupted. “Like, we were never dating in the first place. Sarge said something and Simmons said he was sick of all the dating jokes.” 

“What? Seriously?” 

“Yeah, I have no idea what to do now. I share a bed with the guy, Tucker; where am I going to sleep?” Grif said. 

“You can spend a few days in blue base,” Tucker offered. “Caboose rarely ever sleeps in his bed anyway.” 

“Thanks.” 

They both raised their guns and continued the target practice that Tucker started. 

~

Three days of sleeping at blue base came to an end when Grey locked Grif and Simmons into an office. Because of Tucker’s inability to keep a secret, almost the entire New Republic knew about the pair’s “break up” by the end of the first day. Grif can’t of a scenario where this would be acceptable, but everyone knows now and he can’t do much about it. 

Just like he can’t do much about Simmons glaring at him from across this office. 

Grif sits in the office chair behind the desk and takes it upon himself to pretend to be interested in the papers. Anything to keep himself looking busy. 

“We both know you aren’t reading those,” Simmons said. 

“You don’t know that, only I know that.” 

“Well, you just admitted it, so now I do know.” 

“Whatever,” Grif mumbled. 

“Can we talk about whatever problem you have so we can leave?” 

“Sure, Simmons, where would you like to start?” He drops the papers onto the desk and crosses his arms. 

“It isn’t my fault you thought we were dating for five years. If anything, you should find a starting point for this conversation. Just say what you want to say so I can leave.” 

“I don’t know what you’re expecting to hear, Simmons! That I don’t love you? That I do love you? I spent five years thinking we were dating, I’m sorry I’m upset that five years of my life was fake. Do you want me to convince you that we should date for real? Do you want me to leave you alone forever? What do you want?” 

“What do you want?” 

“I want you to be happy. That’s all I’ve been doing for _five years,_ ” He said. 

“Uh- thanks,” Simmons paused. “I’m gonna go, training and all that.” 

He walks out leaving Grif alone in the office. He rests his elbows on the desk and drops his head into his hands. 

“That could have gone so much better.”


	93. "I want your opinion on something."

If there is one thing that Bitters takes pride in out of the entire civil war, it’s his tattoos. When he started in the Fed army, they weren’t allowed to have tattoos. Locus showed up, deemed them unprofessional, and in an attempt to gain Locus’ trust, the leader decided no one could get any new tattoos. 

The new law didn’t abide well with Bitters. By that point, his entire right arm and half of his left arm were filled with tattoos. He got one when he was sixteen, high on his shoulder so his mother wouldn’t see, and since then he had the idea of covering most of his body with art. 

On his seventeenth birthday, he went to the same rundown shop and asked for a sleeve of tattoos. They were made up of small designs that Bitters had drawn in one of his school notebooks. Many were black and grey, he wasn’t fond of the colored tattoos because they fade faster. If he was going to make a permanent decision, he wanted it to be permanent.

When he joined the New Republic, he went without new tattoos for two years. It’s not that he didn’t want any, he still had a small notebook he kept in his bunk filled with ideas. There was no one he knew that could tattoo. 

Until he met the chef. He has seen him a million times and he has the look of a tattoo artist, Bitters has no idea how he never put it together. He was walking through line for food with Grif, telling him how he wanted to get new tattoos. The chef, who introduced himself as Andrew, said he had the stuff to tattoo and that he has done them in the past. Bitters was hesitant, but when Andrew said he would charge anything, he agreed to let him. 

Now, the small gaps between tattoos on his arms were being filled up. There weren’t many gaps, but there was enough to bother him. Bitters wanted his arms to be covered in tattoos to the point that no one would want to look anywhere but his arms.

“Keep it covered for a few days. Unless you have lotion or something you can put on them,” Andrew said as he taped some clear wrap from the kitchen to cover the newly-filled gaps. 

“The captains said one of the prisoners they rescued would have stuff for it. Donut- or maybe it was Doc- it doesn’t matter, one of them is supposed to have something,” He laughed. “But seriously, thanks. I’ve been waiting a few years to get this done.” 

“Yeah, yeah, anytime.” 

Bitters walked out of the abandoned hallway they were in. They needed somewhere that wouldn’t cause trouble for someone else, and the hallway behind the kitchen is rarely in use, so that’s where they set up shop. 

He became more nervous he walked towards the room he shared with the other lieutenants. Originally, it was just him and Smith. Then Palomo moved in when they were all grouped together with the captains. The room isn’t Jensen actual bedroom, but she has a bed and she sleeps there every night, so they consider her a resident of the room. No matter how many times Kimball tries to tell her she would be more comfortable with Jensen not sleeping in a room with three men, but Jensen insists she feels safer with her teammates. 

The three of them weren’t going to argue because Jensen was right, they all felt safer as a team. 

“Hey, I need your guys’ opinion on something.” 

“You’re back!” Palomo exclaimed when Bitters entered the room. 

“Does it look good?” Jensen asked. 

“Guys, I’m sure he is going to show us. Give him a second, he just got back.” 

“Thank you, Smith,” Bitters said. “Which one do you want to see first?” 

“Uh- what about that one?” Jensen points to the small lineart of a sun rising on the inside of his wrist.

“I actually got that one thinking of you,” He said. “When we first met, you always said the sun rises at the same time everyday- that is was something to look forward to. But the sun doesn’t rise at the same time everyday. However it does rise everyday, so I guess you weren’t completely wrong.” 

“It’s beautiful,” She said. 

“You got a tattoo for Jensen?” 

“Calm down, Palomo,” He laughed. “You all have one.” 

He pulled his sleeve up to show a small moon, star, and a planet that is meant to be Chorus. Palomo once told the team he wanted to study all things that had to do with space. Unfortunately, the war started and he was dragged into the army when he was only thirteen. He’s seventeen now, and the only space related thing he has done is look at the stars. Bitters has seen him name every constellation, he knows Palomo should be studying what he wants instead of fighting. 

“That’s so cool! I love it!” 

“Thanks.” 

The final one was on his right forearm. The actual tattoo was rather close to the crease of his elbow, but there was a trail of dashes that went around his other tattoos that ended towards his wrist. 

It was a paper airplane that reminded him of the ones he and Smith would throw at each other in school. There was a two year age gap between them, but they always ended up with at least one class together, which they would spend passing notes via paper airplane. 

“What do you think?” 

“I wasn’t expecting it, but I like it,” Smith said. “Reminds me of a few years ago when you threw one and the teacher caught and read it to the class.” 

“I’m glad you remember the same event. It wasn’t nearly as traumatic for you as it was for me.” 

The room was silent for a moment. “So you guys like them?” 

“Is that even a question?”


	94. Church/Tucker- "You can do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is like a week and a half later than I normally update! I hit writers block and then school got stressful and it's just been a mess. 
> 
> Thankfully I got this request done, but I can't give credit to who sent the idea in because it says their account was deleted. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy! <33

Church likes to think he can admit his downfalls. He knows he is a stubborn person, that he can argue to the point of forgetting the original argument, and he avoids confrontation on just about everything. 

When Church was twelve he and Wash were helping Carolina with a scheel project. He and Wash were doing arguing about part of the project and in the process of arguing, they completely ruined the part of the project they were discussing. Instead of telling Carolina or trying to fix it, he left it where it was and blamed Wash when Carolina asked about it the next day. 

And of all the moments in life that Church ran away from, this one was the most important. 

He was eating lunch with Junior and Tucker while they were all home at the same time for once. They thought summer would give them more free time together, but instead they are all busier than they were the rest of the year. Tucker made them something to eat because Church held no cooking capabilities and Junior, despite being the age where he could cook _something_ , can’t do so without setting something on fire. They were sitting at the table, enjoying their meal, when Tucker stepped out of the room to take a phone call. 

“Can you pass the- the,” Junior looked at the bowl on the table, making hand gestures at it as if it would tell him what it was. “Just- can you pass me that thing?” 

“Yeah,” Church laughed. “No problem.” 

He handed the bowl to Junior, being careful not to drop it. 

“Thanks, dad.”

Church’s jaw nearly hit the table. He stared at Junior with wide-eyes waiting to see if he would catch his mistake, but he carried on eating as if he said nothing. Did he say it intentionally? He’s never called Church “dad” before, so maybe he is trying to start something. In the past, the Tucker family has always tried to be trend setters. Though, to Church, being called “dad” didn’t seem like a trend. 

“Why do you look like someone just stabbed your sister in front of you?” Tucker asked when he sat back down at the table. 

“Uh- nothing. I’ll be right back,” His words are drawn out as he leaves the dining room. 

He walks upstairs to the room he has shared with Tucker for nearly 6 years now. They moved in together when Church started his second year of college, nearly two years after Junior was born. Church remembers setting up Junior’s room with Tucker, Junior going to bed, and then running boxes into the apartment as fast as they could without waking Junior. They wanted to get everything unloaded from the truck and unpacked before Junior woke up (and if the moving truck needed to be returned before 5 the next morning- well, that wasn’t brought up). 

Church has been around Junior since he was born. During his last year of high school, he and Tucker started dating. One night, four months later, they were sitting on Tucker’s couch while his mom and sister were out of the house, a girl knocked on the door. The door wasn’t open long, but in the time it was, an older woman pushed a baby into Church’s arms and then a bag of baby supplies into Tucker’s before slamming the door herself. Tucker dropped the stuff and opened the door, but the woman was already gone. 

They spent all night taking care of the baby with whatever supplies were in the bag. He fell asleep on the couch, holding the baby to his chest while both his and the baby’s drool soaked into his shirt. Tucker dug through the entire bag until he found a note in one of the side pockets explaining that the baby was his and the mom was moving out of town. The baby’s name was Lavernius Tucker Jr. and he would be Tucker’s responsibility from then on. Tucker’s responsibility with major help from Church, that is. 

Every major life event Junior has gone through, Church was there. First words, first steps, first day of school, first best friend, first broken bone, and so may others. It was unspoken, but Church has always been a second father to Junior. But hearing someone- Junior, especially- actually acknowledge it sent him into a panic.

Church didn’t grow up with a picture perfect family. His mother died in the military when his sister, Carolina, was nine and he was six. They had a younger half-brother, David (who was later nicknamed Wash), that moved in with them and their father per his mother’s will and lack of care from the other parent. His father, whom he is named after, is a doctor that is too dedicated to his work. He neglected Church and all of his siblings, essentially leaving his sister to raise Church and Wash. His father was there more as a money supply rather than a parental figure. 

Church wouldn’t consider his childhood the worst, but it could have been better. 

“Are you okay? Why’d you just walk away?” Tucker closed the door behind him as he walked into the room. 

“Junior called me dad.” 

“I don’t exactly see a problem with that,” Tucker smiled. “Are you upset about it or?”

“No!” He exclaimed. “Not at all. It’s just- it’s- I didn’t have any real parental figures growing up. I don’t know if I could be the parental figure Junior needs.” 

“And you think I am? If you don’t remember, he quite literally just showed up. I didn’t know he existed until he was like two months old, I didn’t have time to learn how to be a parent. You don’t even have to be a parent to him, you do it because you want to- which I am eternally grateful for, by the way. So, Junior doesn’t need you to be the perfect dad, he wants you to be a dad the same way you’ve been since he met you.” 

“Maybe.” 

“Not maybe, definitely,” Tucker said. “You can do it, I promise.”


	95. Kai/Tex- "I brought you an umbrella."

Tex rolled her eyes. She thought that after two years of dating they would be past this, yet here they are. The arguments never seem to end. Both parties too stubborn to admit if they were at fault, or pretend they were just to end the bickering. It always ended the same: Kai storming out of the apartment. 

“Why can’t you just admit you wrong?” Kai yelled. She picked up a glass from the counter in front of her and threw it towards Tex. She didn’t even bat an eye as it smashed to pieces in the wall right next to her head. 

“Oh, like you can? We can’t keep arguing like this,” Tex said calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. “Something needs to change.” 

“You want change? How about we just break up? Would that be enough change for you?” Kai rushed to the door and put on her shoes. 

“No! Kai, you know that’s not what I meant.” 

“Well too bad.” Kai slams the door, leaving Tex standing in the kitchen. 

She steps around broken glass on the floor to reach the broom. As she started sweeping the glass, she dialed Grif’s number and stuck the phone between her shoulder and ear so she could use both hands. There was no relationship between her and Grif at all minus Kai, but after every argument Tex called him.

“Hello?” Grif groaned. “What is it this time?” 

“She stormed out after saying we should break up. Can you just make sure she didn’t get hurt on her warpath towards the park? She was angry enough to break her favorite mug, so I’m guessing she is angry enough to ignore traffic.” 

“Yeah, I’ll call her.” 

“Thanks,” Tex said before hanging up. 

Once she was sure all of the glass was swept up, Tex walked to their bedroom. She was still in her workout clothes as Kai started the argument as soon as she got home from the gym. It took three minutes of staring into the messy closet her and Kai share for her to pull out a pair of sweats and one of Kai’s shirts. It was a green shirt that Kai normally only wore around the house because she never saw it to be fit enough to leave the house. It was a normal t-shirt, like most of the ones Tex wore, but Kai preferred the fanciest clothes she could get her hands on. 

Ten minutes later, Tex was sitting on the couch in a pile of throw blankets. Kai got her one for every gift-giving holiday because she was “too damn cold to cuddle with.” Her attention was pulled away from her phone when she heard thunder outside. Outside. Where Kai is. Kai, who is afraid of thunder. 

“Shit,” She mumbles to herself. She gets off of the couch and walks to the door to get her shoes, a coat, and two umbrellas. 

Thankfully it wasn’t dark yet. They were towards the end of Spring and the days were getting longer and longer as Summer approached. Tex wasn’t about to complain, compared to other times Kai has stormed out, this one would be easiest to find her. Granted, she already knew Kai would be sitting on a swing at the park down the street, but the daylight was more comforting than having Kai wandering around at night. 

It started raining just as she crossed the street to the park. Kai was facing away from her, swinging back and forth on the swing slowly. She was scared of heights, so her feet never left the ground. Tex sped up so Kai wasn’t in the rain for too long. 

“I brought you an umbrella,” She said, holding the umbrella over Kai. 

“Thanks.”

“We should go home. Come one.” 

“I didn’t mean what I said- about breaking up,” Kai said. 

“I know, you were angry. It’s okay. But seriously, we should get home.” 

“Yeah, we probably should.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this wasn't the best, but some of us (me) forgot about the homework that needs to be done, so someone (me) is gonna go do that lmao
> 
> Thanks for reading! <33


	96. Grif/Simmons- "I want to make sure you're okay."

"You have to be more careful," Grif's mother said as they walked out of the hospital. His left bicep was now sporting stitches and his mother wasn't happy with her son's excuse of "I don't know." 

"I swear I wasn't do anything! I was at the park with Tucker, we weren't even skateboarding. Just sitting there, I swear!" Grif said. 

His mother explained when he much younger that whatever marks are put on your skin, such as bruises or small pen doodles, show up on your soulmate as well. Since then, Grif has gone out of his way to not be as reckless as he once was. Now he writes notes that go unanswered and draw little pictures that he finds funny. 

"Well then what happened?" 

"I don't know, it must have been my soulmate. Can we just drop it?" 

The truth was, cuts and bruises have been showing up for weeks now. There was a large bruise on his chest from two weeks ago that has yet to turn from an ugly purple to an uglier, but less obnoxious brown-yellow color. There have been scrapes littering his body that heal in only a few days, but more and more show up when the old ones go away. 

He has tried to keep his mother from finding out, but when he was sitting on one of the picnic tables with Tucker and his arm started bleeding, he panicked. The cut looked deep and like it needed attention from someone who wasn't his stoned friend. He went to the bathrooms, grabbed some paper towels to hold against his arm to try and stop the bleeding, and then rode his skateboard home. 

If Grif was being honest, he wasn't scared of the large cut. He didn't feel the pain of the injuries as badly as his soulmate did. Instead of the searing pain it must have been for them, it was only a dull stinging for him. Though he was scared for the safety of his soulmate. What was happening to them? Why were cuts and bruises randomly showing up all of a sudden? 

"Do you have a pen in here somewhere?" He asked his mom as she pulled out of the parking lot. 

"Check the middle console, I normally have a few," She said. 

He opened the compartment and found an array of different colors. He chose the plain black pen, knowing his mother liked using the colored ones and they were most likely be out of ink. He uncapped the pen, sticking the cap between his teeth because he knew chewed pen caps was something his mother hated. Stitches or not, he was still going to annoy her at least a little. 

_I haven't asked yet because I didn't know if it was anything to worry about, but is everything okay on your end? A bunch of injuries keep showing up and I'm worried_

He stared at the writing on his forearm, thinking over what he said. It was too late to erase anything, but he also couldn't think of anything to add onto it. His soulmate rarely replied, but Grif still waited in anticipation for them to give at least a sign they were okay.

After a few minutes without a response, he decided to add onto his previous note. 

_If you aren't in a safe place to talk, can you at least show me some sign that you're okay? I just got stitches and I want to make sure you're somewhat okay from whatever that was._

__His reply was a dash written in red ink next to his words. It was short but it confirmed to things: his soulmate was not in a safe place, but they are okay. Presumably._ _

* * *

___This is probably against whatever soulmate rules exist, but if you need anything call this number._ _ _

____Grif scribbled onto his arm as he sat through English class. He was too distracted by the dull pain he could feel on his stomach to pay attention to the novel the class was meant to be reading this term. At the end of his note he added his phone number. Grif knew that soulmates weren't supposed to share personal information, names would always blur out so the other person couldn't read it. He was shocked, but relieved, as he saw the phone number still written clearly on his arm._ _ _ _

____"Grif, because you seem so busy with your arm, would you care to give a summary of the chapter we just read?" His English teacher asked._ _ _ _

____"No."_ _ _ _

____"What? You can't say no."_ _ _ _

____"I just did," He said. "I'll do it again: no."_ _ _ _

____She sighed, "Just pay attention."_ _ _ _

____He wanted to reply no again to make his class laugh, but he once again found himself distracted as he saw the writing on his arm get washed away. For as long as he has been writing notes to his soulmate, they have never washed them off immediately. Grif was unsure if it was intuition or just a lucky guess, but he knew that it wasn't his soulmate that was wiping away his note._ _ _ _

* * *

_____What was the number again?_ _ _ _ _

______The writing showed up on his skin just as Grif was getting into bed. He reached over to the desk in his room and grabbed a pen to scribble the number back onto his arm. Waiting for his phone to go off with a text or call notification felt like it took forever, but it eventually came. The standard ringtone broke the silence of his room, and he picked the phone up and answered immediately._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Hello?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Hi?" The reply was high pitched and sounded nervous._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Are you okay? You don't have to be so anxious, I'm not gonna do anything."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Uh- yeah," Their voice cracked. "Yeah, I'm fine."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Based on whatever today was, it doesn't feel like you're fine. What's all that about anyway?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"It's- it's my dad. He is really stressed right now."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Dude, that's so mess up! Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to road trip out to wherever you are and rescue you like in fairy tales?"_ _ _ _ _ _

______"No," His soulmate laughed. "That's alright, I appreciate it, though."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"That's a shame, I had my horse all ready to go," Grif said. "I'm Grif, by the way."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Simmons."_ _ _ _ _ _

______"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Simmons."_ _ _ _ _ _


	97. Carolina/South- "I didn't want to ruin it."

“‘Lina, you need to chill out,” Wash said as Carolina paced in front of the chair he was sitting in. 

“No, Wash, I think you need to chill out.” 

“I’m gonna let that go because you’re nervous, but my statement still stands.”

Carolina stopped pacing to sit down next to Wash in the uncomfortable airport chairs. Her leg was bouncing and as much as it annoyed Wash, he didn’t bother trying to stop her. 

“How can I calm down?” She asked. “South’s going to be here any minute! Do you know what that means?” 

“Instead of listening to you two on skype, we get to witness your relationship in person?” 

“No, it means-” She pauses. “Actually, yes, that’s exactly what it means.” 

She doesn’t understand why she is so nervous. This is the third time they’ve visited each other in person. In the year and six months they’ve been dating, they mae it a point to try and visit each other every six months. The first two times Carolina visited South in Russia because she was still getting her degree, but now that she graduated, South insisted she visit Carolina. 

“I think her plane just landed,” Wash said. “Come on, I’ll go with you to the gate.” 

They walk over to the gate, and Carolina glances at each person in her line of vision, waiting for one of them to be South. Anytime she sees anyone who is tall and blonde, her face perks up until she realizes it isn’t South. 

“It’s funny watching you be so oblivious,” Wash smirks, knowing Carolina isn’t at the top of her game. 

“Do you see her anywhere?” 

“I don’t want to ruin it but-” 

“Where is she?” Carolina exclaimed, cutting off Wash’s sentence. 

“I was going to wait to see how long it took you, but you walked past her already.” 

“What?” She exclaimed, whirling around to run directly into South. 

“She’s been following you for about a minute now,” He laughs. 

“South! Why didn’t you say anything? You’re just as bad as him!” She wraps her arms around South who is grinning widely at her. 

“This was funnier.” South shrugs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's super short (and SUPER late) but I've been working on the next chapter (that I just finished, just have to fix it up a bit) and I didn't want to post this one without anything better following it immediately. I'm sorry it's late/short, but I'll have the next chapter out in like ten minutes lmao


	98. Doc/Wash/Donut- "I think you'll like it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is super different than anything I've ever written before. I took inspiration from a fic I read like five years ago that I remembered the other day and from the credits of ep10 of yoi. Just to clear something up in case it doesn't come across, the fic is basically told through a viewer's pov from a youtube au. 
> 
> If it's really confusing, I might just rewrite it. Feel free to ask me to explain it better! <33

_[Youtube: New video from pettyinpink]_

_“Hey guys! I know I didn’t get a chance to put out a video past few days, but I was in the process of moving if you couldn’t tell by all the boxes in the background. I still live in Seattle, but I switched apartment complexes. I have a bigger apartment now, it has an extra room that’ll serve as a filming room that will eventually be set up. I’m gonna try and keep up with the everyday uploading like normal, but if it’s a bit wonky, it’s because there is a ton of stuff going on right now. Anyway, today I’ll just be doing and ‘outfit of the day’ and the makeup I did with it. …”_

**Comments:**

Did anyone else notice the crash in the background at 1:21 ???  
Reply from PettyInPink: Time to move out, the house is haunted

The shirts was the best part of the outfit tbh

Where’s Tabby? Normally she is walking around during videos..  
Reply from PettyInPink: She’s staying with a friend while I finish moving everything

**Twitter- Now Trending**

#FirstDates  
#TheBestAdventuresAlwaysStart  
#Breaking2  
#MTVAwards  
#TakeThat

**Donut** @PettyInPink:  
#TheBestAdventuresAlwaysStart with a new apartment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKARexvTiiU 

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:  
RT “Taryn/Nick 2020 #FirstDates”

**Wash** @Washington__:  
What does everyone think I should film tomorrow? Looking to play a new indie game.

**Donut** @PettyInPink:  
I heard Rain World was pretty good!  
“What does everyone think I should film tomorrow? Looking to play a new indie game.”

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:   
New video up tomorrow! Can’t wait for everyone to see it!

* * *

_[Youtube: New video from @Washington__]_

_“I’m gonna jump straight into this video because I’m filming with someone else later today. Sorry for the rush!”_

**Comments:**

Is that Tabby?!

Why is Donut’s cat there?   
Reply from @Washington__: I’m filming in his apartment.

What’s the next game you’re playing?   
Reply from @Washington__: I take requests every day on twitter! 

Is Donut there too??

**Twitter- Now Trending**

#PHIvNY  
#Thundersnow  
#DeadlySorority  
#PITvWSH  
#LivePD

**Wash** @Washington__:   
Twitter is filled with sports tonight, yet I find myself scrolling through all of it anyway

**Wash** @Washington__:  
Game requests?

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:   
Tetris   
“Game requests?” 

**Donut** @PettyInPink:   
Today was beautiful! Sooooo glad I spent it editing one video instead of enjoying it

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:  
I offered to help, you were adamant to doing it on your own   
“Today was beautiful! Sooooo glad I spent it editing one video instead of enjoying it”

**Donut** @PettyInPink:   
@NotAnActualDoctor just let me suffer in peace

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:   
New video is finally up! Go check it out!!   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRARexxTiiU

_[Youtube: New video from @NotAnActualDoctor]_

_”What’s going on friends? I finally got a new apartment, so I thought I’d bring you through and apartment tour. I moved in this past week, but decided to wait until more stuff was unpacked to do a tour. It’s bigger than my last apartment, but it feels much smaller. Well, regardless, this is my new apartment!”_

**Comments:**

This looks like where Donut did his newest video.. Why are you at Donut’s apartment?   
Reply from @NotAnActualDoctor: Who told you it was Donut’s apartment? 

Can you do another “day in the life of” video   
Reply from @NotAnActualDoctor: Of course!

When are you doing another twitter Q&A???  
Reply from @NotAnActualDoctor: Soon, be on the lookout for it!

* * *

_[Youtube: New video from @Washington__]_

_”Hey guys, today we are playing tetris per @NotAnActualDoctor’s request! I promise the next video will be one of your guys’ suggestions instead of his. Anyway, there isn’t anything new to announce, so let’s jump into the next ten minutes of rage-induced tetris because this game never fails to piss me off.”_

**Comments:**

This was hilarious, watching you yell at a yellow square was priceless

Do you have any other social media than youtube?  
Reply from @Washington__: Check the description, all that stuff is there

Can you play gta5  
Reply from @Washington__: Maybe

Are we just going to ignore Doc running through the background with Donut’s phone and then Donut chasing after him? ??   
Reply from @Washington__: I was hoping we could

**Twitter - Now Trending**

#flysafe  
#StormSurge  
#FutureofLocal  
#Psych  
#teacherappreciationweek

**Doc** @NotAnActualDocto:  
Everyone stay safe! #StormSurge

**Wash** @Washington__:  
Do you even know what that’s about?   
“Everyone stay safe! #StormSurge” 

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:  
Something about a hurricane, I think @washington__

**Donut** @PettyInPink:  
#teacherappreciationweek thanks to all the teachers who said Youtube wasn’t a career! I’m glad you were there to encourage me! 

**Wash** @Washington__:   
Way to live up to the username there pal   
“#teacherappreciationweek thanks to all the teachers who said Youtube wasn’t a career!   
I’m glad you were there to encourage me!” 

**Wash** @Washington__:  
Anyone know any good side-scroller games?

* * *

_[Youtube: New video from @NotAnActualDoctor]_

_”Hello friends! I’m here with Donut, or PettyInPink as some of you might now him! We are going to film the tumblr tag due to the demand of you guys. Just putting it out there, he saw all of the demands, I never saw any. But I hope you guys enjoy!”_

**Comments:**

The art was my favorite part, it looked so cool!  
Reply from @NotAnActualDoctor: Same here!

Can you do a video with Wash next??  
Reply from @NotAnActualDoctor: That’s next on the list

You and Donut seem awfully close ..   
Reply from @NotAnActualDoctor: No comment 

**Twitter - Now Trending**

#MasterChef  
#AllYouNeed1  
#crazyambitious  
#ShutDownChase  
#Seahawks

**Wash** @Washington__:   
You can probably guess this tweet, but game requests? 

**Donut** @PettyInPink:   
New Video tomorrow! Super excited for y’all to see it!! Until then, watch a collab I did with @NotAnActualDoctor !  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKAEexxTiiU 

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:   
Put up a new video today with @PettyInPink where we went to tumblr and looked through everything. Watch it here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKAEexxTiiU

* * *

_[Youtube: New video from @PettyInPink]_

_”What’s up guys? It’s been another couple of days, but I should be back to my normal uploading schedule from here on out! Don’t quote me on that, by the way. Anyway, today I’m here with Doc and as you could probably see from the title of this video, we will be doing the ‘couples dress the same for a week’ thing. To be honest, I don’t know if it’s a thing, I’ve only seen Buzzfeed do it. But now we well continue it! Just a refresher, yesterday we did a video over on Doc’s channel, the link will be in the description down below. So, uh- yeah, enjoy the video!”_

**Comments:**

My favorite outfit was definitely the neon purple leggings with the black shirt. Doc look horrified when you showed him the pants

Where did you get outfit number 5? It’s so cute!  
Reply from @PettyInPink: Doc picked it out while we were shopping at Target

How’s your new apartment?   
Reply from @PettyInPink: It’s amazing, I love it!

Are we all just going to ignore that they are dating ?!

**Twitter - Trending Now**

#THETA2017  
#SurvivorNZ  
#EldoradoPark  
#hailstorm  
#cubs

**Donut** @PettyInPink:   
Yet another new video with @NotAnActualDoctor ! Except on my channel, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK=TAEexxTi

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:   
RT: “Yet another new video with @NotAnActualDoctor ! Except on my channel, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK=TAEexxTi”

**Wash** @Washington__:   
A lot of collabs going on, how about one from Doc and I AND another one from Donut and I? Sound good for everyone? 

**Wash** @Washington__:   
And also, game requests?

* * *

_[Youtube: New video from @NotAnActualDoctor]_

_”Wash, over here, is super inpatient and he won’t let me drag out the intro forever. So today, he and I will be doing the boyfriend tag! Hope you guys like it!”_

**Comments:**

Wait I thought you were dating Donut? !?

What about Donut!!?

Does Wash know about the video with Donut?   
Reply from @NotAnActualDoctor: yes, of course!

Why did Donut show up to answer the last question instead of Wash?   
Reply from @NotAnActualDoctor: Why wouldn’t he? It was the boyfriend tag, wasn’t it? 

_[Youtube: New video from @PettyInPink]_

_”Remember yesterday when I said I would come out with new videos everyday again? Well here I am! And I brought the wonderful Wash with me! Today my boyfriend will be doing my make-up, as said in the title. Enjoy!”_

**Comments:**

Does Wash know you and Doc are both cheating on him with each other? 

You know he is dating Doc, right? 

He can’t be your boyfriend! Doc’s you’re boyfriend

The internet can be very oblivious at times   
Reply from @PettyInPink: I agree

**Twitter - Trending Now**

#COMMCON17  
#9News  
#RHOCChesire  
#Newnight  
#RAWLondon

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:   
How’s everyone’s night going? 

**Wash** @Washington__:   
Hope you guys weren’t disappointed with the new video with @PettyInPink ! I had a ton of fun making it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK=TAEexxTu

**Donut** @PettyInPink:   
RT: Hope you guys weren’t disappointed with the new video with @PettyInPink ! I had a ton of fun making it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK=TAEexxTu

**Donut** @PettyInPink:   
Had a fun day today, can’t wait to fall asleep thought! 

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:   
Though* @PettyInPink  
“Had a fun day today, can’t wait to fall asleep thought!” 

**Donut** @PettyInPink:   
Fight me, Frankie! 

**Wash** @Washington__:   
Oooooh, cracking out the first names

**Donut** @PettyInPink:   
I’ll fight you too, David!

**Wash** @Washington__:  
I’m waiting, Franklin

**Doc** @NotAnActualDoctor:   
You guys are too much, go to bed!!

**Wash** @Washington__:  
As you wish @NotAnActualDoctor   
Regardless, no requests today. Tomorrow’s video is going to be a little different, but I think you’ll like it!

* * *

_[Youtube: New video from @Washington__]_

_”Hey, what’s going on? Last night on twitter I said this video wouldn’t be normal, and I wasn’t lying. As you can see, on either side of me I have two idiots, and between the three of us, we’ve been posting a lot of videos that have raised a lot of questions. Well, in this video- or the comments, rather- we will be answering your questions! They’ll all be answered from my account, but it’ll be signed by who typed what. So, anyway, ask away!”_

**Comments:**

Who’s dating who?   
Reply from @Washington__: All of us. We are all dating each other. Like a triangle type   
situation. -Donut

Do you guys favor one over the other?   
Reply from @Washington__: No? -Wash

How long have you guys been dating?   
Reply from @Washington__: About four months - Donut

Do you guys all live in Donut’s apartment?   
Reply from @Washington__: Yes- Doc 

Where did you all meet?   
Reply from @Washington__: I met Wash at E3 a year ago and Donut on twitter- Doc

Did you all start dating at once?   
Reply from @Washington__: No, Doc and Wash were dating for about two weeks before I   
showed up. -Donut

Are either Doc or Donut going to be in Wash’s gaming videos?   
Reply from @Washington__: We’re working on that. Someone doesn’t want us to ruin his   
game progress - Doc

Are you all happy?   
Reply from @Washington__: Of course? Why wouldn’t we be? -Wash


	99. 99. Grif/Simmons- "Be careful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is derived form s15 episode 6 that came out on youtube (I think? maybe it was the site) today, so spoilers if you haven't seen that yet!

“I’m going to go make sure we have everything,” Simmons excused himself from the group. Everyone knew he would be talking to Grif rather and checking the supplies, but no one commented on it. 

Simmons walked towards the red base they built after the first- much nicer- one burned down. He passed the three other bedrooms before stopping in front of the one he and Grif shared. There was no sound coming from the room, but Simmons knew Grif would be in there. Where else would he be? Grif wouldn’t venture out of the bedroom until the others were long gone from their secluded planet. He wouldn’t want there to be a chance of facing the others after the speil he just gave on quitting. 

“Grif?” Simmons gently pushed the door open. 

Grif was sitting on the bed, looking more tired than Simmons has ever seen him. Even after the fight with the Meta or the hundreds of Tex copies, Grif had more energy than this. 

“Are you okay?” 

“No, Simmons, I’m not okay. Did you happen to miss what just happened? Not only am I keeping myself from going on the mission, I’m staying here alone! How is any of that sound okay to you?” 

“This doesn’t only affect you,” Simmons mumbled. “The team is going to be one person short, Tucker’s not going to have a friend, everything is going to be different.” 

The “I’m not going to have you,” went unsaid. Simmons felt it would be implied. Despite being together for years, neither have labelled it out loud. They knew how much the other meant to them, and that was enough for them. They didn’t feel the need to categorize their relationship, so they just didn’t. 

“You will all be fine without me. If you were truly worried or concerned or whatever, you’d stay too.”

“I’m not going to stay, you know that,” He said. “I’m not like you! I can’t just abandon a job! I was there when the task was presented, I want to to be there to get my name on the end product.” 

“That’s fine, I wasn’t going to make you stay.” 

Grif stood up and walked over to Simmons. The armor made the already large height gap between them even bigger. 

“Please be careful,” Grif said. “I’m going to miss you.” 

“I’ll miss you too.” 

Simmons walked out of the base feeling defeated. He wasn’t expecting anything to come out of talking with Grif, but he couldn’t help but hope Grif would change his mind about quitting. 

“Is everything good?” Washington asked when he was back with the group. 

“Uh- yeah,” He said. “Everything’s fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another super short chapter, but after the next one I'm going to try and go through and re-write all the ones I'm not happy with so I'm hoping it won't be this short for long.


	100. 100. Tucker/Wash- "I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place around s12 btw

Being the enemy’s prisoner wasn’t as bad as Wash had first thought it would be. They let him keep his armor- not the weapons, but the armor was enough for him to feel a bit safer, he was given three meals a day, and he has yet to be injured. From what he knows of the captors, they are only keeping him here to take the leader away from blue team. The thought made him laugh- blue team has gone a leader so often, they would function without him there. Also, Tucker would be able to lead the group if need be. 

_Tucker._ He was one of the only people out of that entire group that kept Washington sane. Every night after whatever ridiculous scenario occurred that day, Tucker was there laughing with him about it. Whether it be the look on Caboose’s face when Freckles nearly killed the reds when he was trying to teach the robot a new trick or if it was the tree Tucker ran into while running drills because he was too busy arguing to look where he was going. 

Tucker helped keep Wash grounded when he woke up from nightmares, something not many people could do. Tucker didn’t even have to try to calm Wash down. All he did was talk about anything he could think of which, most times, was Junior. Despite never meeting Junior, Wash knew an awful lot about him. 

“Does this thing even work?” Tucker’s voice came through his helmet radio. Wash didn’t know it could work from how far away they must be from each other, but he wasn’t going to complain. 

“Wash? Hello?” Tucker dragged out his words and Wash stayed quiet. He wanted to know what Tucker would say when he thought no one was listening. The man could talk for hours, but Wash never missed the way he would watch what he said around certain people. Such as not mentioning the freelancers around Wash or not talking about violence around Doc. 

“Alright, maybe it isn’t working. I’ll just record it and then send the file so you’ll still hear it,” He said. “Anyway, it’s night time here and I’m sitting in a hole in the ground next to a toxic lake, but it made me think of how you have trouble sleeping and how I’m not there to help you go back to sleep. Kinda ironic that a toxic lake makes me think of you, but whatever.” 

Tucker took a deep breath, “I normally only talk to you about what I’m thinking, but all I’m thinking about it you. I guess if you aren’t hearing this live I could just talk about you and then if I think of something else, I’ll restart the recording. I’m not a very feeling-centric person. Or maybe I am? I don’t know, man.” 

Wahs could say, without a doubt, that Tucker was a feeling-centric person. It was evident in the way he talked to people, Caboose especially, and how he made most of his decisions. He wasn’t interested in doing anything that would hurt his friends. Wash can’t even think of that last soldier he met that levelled his friends above anything else. It was always the mission, themself, and then teammates. Friends were only on the list if they happened to be in your team. 

“Maybe it’s because you’re practically the first person I’ve met on this team since the Caboose showed up that has stayed, but you mean a lot to me. Even Church left and the team was made for him! But I like that you stayed even when you didn’t have to. No one was forcing you to take care of blue team. I’m sure at one point or another I would have stepped up to team leader, but I definitely wouldn’t have done nearly as good as you are. I really admire you as a soldier and as a person, and I can’t think of many ways to explain it.” 

Tucker laughed. “You missed it the other day when Grif and Simmons got their ass kicked by Felix. They failed to finish the objective and Felix was super pissed. Reminded me of how you would get super angry when I blatantly ignored whatever you were saying. Looking back, I definitely shouldn’t have done that. You had a lot of really good advice and I’m sure it would be beneficial to know now that you’re not here.” 

“But on a serious note. I really miss you, Wash,” Tucker said. “When you showed up, I didn’t think you were going to be around long, but you stayed. And now you’re gone and I’m a mess. I don’t know anyone that’s even similar you and I- I need you to come back.” 

“I have to go before Kimball comes to kick my ass for being out past curfew,” Tucker mumbled. “Maybe you’ll get this, maybe you won’t. I haven’t decided-” 

“I think I love you,” Wash said surprising himself and Tucker. 

“What the fuck! Wash? You heard all of that? And that’s the bombshell you decide to drop after the radio silence on your end?” 

“I’m sorry! It was the only thing I could think of.” 

“I’m not going to say it back.” 

“Not that I would expect you to,” Wash interrupted. 

“You need to let me finish sometime,” He laughed. “I’m not saying it back until I see you in person again.” 

“Fair enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm amazed I got this far into this fic omg Thank you so much to anyone that has commented on any chapter, to Yin especially for commenting on every chapter. Honestly, I look forward to your comment each time I post something. 
> 
> Anyway, now that it is the end of the book, I'm going to kinda rep myself a bit here because why not, ya know?   
> Tumblr - [@aexis1465](http://aexis1465.tumblr.com/) ((and my fic tumblr is [knife-wielding-merc](http://knife-wielding-merc.tumblr.com/)))  
> On ao3 I have a [yoi parent au series](http://archiveofourown.org/series/606901) and a [pliroy au thing](http://archiveofourown.org/series/724272) and then some voltron and rt stuff [roaming around](http://archiveofourown.org/users/aexis1465)
> 
> If you guys still have any requests, shoot them over to my tumblr (either one lmao) and I'll write a whole oneshot that I can dedicate to you on here and on tumblr instead of cramming it into one of these chapters.
> 
> Seriously, thank you to everyone who read all of the chapter or some of the chapters or even like one! I really appreciate all the comments and kudos and requests and all the stuff! <333


End file.
